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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


4!^'f$Fr  . 


THE 


HUNTER  AND  TRAPPER. 


BY 

HALSEY    THRASHER, 

A:T  EXPEniEXCED    HUNTER. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


*^1^hV 


NEW    YORK: 
ORAXGE  JUDD   AXD    COMPANY, 

2  15     BROADWAY. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S08,  by 

ORANGE  JDDD  &  CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


Lo\Ti:joy,   Son  &  Co., 

Electkotypees  &  Steeeotypebs, 

15  Yande water  Street,   K.   Y. 


PREFACE. 


In  giving  tliis  little  work  to  the  public,  I  do  it  with 
considerable  delicacy,  knowing  my  inability  to  write  for 
others  to  read,  as  I  have  never  studied  these  things. 

I  am  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  but  when  I  was  a  boy  I  be- 
came fond  of  a  gun  and  a  trap,  and  my  first  success  in 
my  shop  was  to  make  a  steel  trap.  It  was  my  aim  to  be- 
come an  expert  traj^per,  and  I  tried  my  hand  at  catching 
foxes. 

Many  a  dollar  have  I  paid  to  cunning  old  men  to  leara 
the  art,  and  I  have  succeeded  pretty  well,  too;  but  why 
has  not  some  man  of  experience  written  a  book  explaining 
the  art  of  successfully  trapping  the  different  kinds  of  fur 
animals  ? 

I  am  old,  but  the  thing  is  in  me  yet,  and  I  love  to  catcli 
the  mink,  and  the  otter,  and  tlie  ring-tailed  coon,  and  to 
bring  down  a  big  horned  buck  and  dress  his  hide  to  make 
mittens  and  gloves ;  and  I  propose  to  tell  the  boys  how 
to  do  it.  Old  men,  too,  may  learn  something  from  me, 
for  I  have  learned  a  little  here  and  a  little  there ;  and  have 
studied  out  some  tilings  for  myself,  and  have  bought  piles 
of  recipes, — some  of  them  worthies^;,  sure  enough. 


IV  ■  TREFACE. 

I.  have  studied  tlie  nature  and  habiis  of  animals  of  dif- 
ferent species,  and  a  plan  that  was  good  to  capture  the 
otter,  the  mink,  and  the  beaver,  forty  years  ago,  is  just  as 
good  now  as  then.  The  nature  of  animals  doesn't  change 
like  the  nature  of  men ;  we  have  grown  wiser  while  they 
have  remained  the  same.  The  mode  of  capturing  them 
when  I  was  a  boy  and  the  way  used  now  may  be  put  to- 
gether, and  succeed  better  than  cither  one  alone. 

Men  are  traveling  through  the  country  selling  recipes  at 

a  high  price  to  teach  how  to  dress  skins.     I  j^ropose  in 

this  work  to  teach  all  these  things,  so  that  a  man  may  have 

them  in  a  neat  little  volume  for  reference  at  any  time.     I 

shall  also  treat  upon  angling  for  the  trout,  the  bass,  and 

the  pickerel,  which  I  think  I  understand.     I  hope  to  make 

it  all  so  plain  that  even  the  inexperienced  will,  in  some 

measure,  succeed. 

H.  T. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Deer  Hunting 7 

CHAPTER    n. 

How  to  Catch  the  Fox 14 

CHAPTER    III. 

How  to  Hunt  and  Catch  the  Beaver 19 

CHxiPTER    IV. 

How  to  Catch  the  Otter 28 

CHAPTER    V. 

How  to  Catch  the  Mink 31 

CHAPTER    VI. 

How  to  Hunt  and  Catch  the  Jluskrat 34 

Cn^\PTER    VII. 

How  to  Catch  the  Marten 33 

CHAPTER    Vni. 

How  to  Catch  the  Fisher 42 

CH^iPTER    IX. 

How  to  Catch  the  Raccoon 45 

CHAPTER    X. 

How  to  Hunt  and  Trap  the  Bear 43 

Cn^VPTER    XI. 

How  to  Hunt  and  Trap  the  Wolf 54 

CHAPTER    XII. 

How  to  Trap  the  Pocket  Gopher 53 

CHAPTER    Xm. 

Fishing  for  Trout,  riclcerel,  and  Bass GO 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

How  to  Hunt  the  Honey  Bee G7 

CHAPTER    XV. 

Hints  About  Shot-Guns  and  Rifles 73 

CHAPTER    X\I. 

Traps TG 

CHAPTER    X^^I. 
Dressing  and  Tanning  Skins  and  Furs 83 

5 


THE  HUI^TER  AID  TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER      I. 

DEER    HUNTING. 

Where  deer  are  plenty  they  are  often  seen  in  fields  and 
in  the  woods,  but  although  they  are  often  shot  in  one  of 
these  happen-soes,  it  takes  something  more  than  this  to 
make  a  successful  deer  hunter.  It  requires  an  understand- 
ing of  the  habits  of  the  animal.  In  the  spring  of  the 
year,  when  the  deer  is  i3oor,  and  worthless  as  food,  and 
the  hide  is  thin  and  good  for  nothing,  he  is  careless  as  to 
the  approach  of  man,  and  may  be  seen  in  the  meadows 
and  fields  searching  for  food. 

I  do  not  know  that  they  would  at  this  time  be  unhealthy 
as  food,  as  it  is  said  that  the  deer  is  never  sick.  I  certainly 
never  saw  a  sick  deer,  although  I  have  killed  hundreds  in 
my  life.  Some  of  them  were  cripples,  but  none  of  them 
seemed  to  be  diseased.  The  deer  has  no  gall  in  his  liver, 
but  in  the  month  of  June  I  have  found  cavities  in  the 
liver  filled  with  a  substance  resembling  gall,  having  round, 
7 


8  THE    HUNTEr.   AND   TEAPPEE. 

flat  objects  moving  in  it.     I  have  seen  several  of  these  in 
one  liver,  but  never  in  August  or  September. 

While  in  this  condition  the  animal  is  dumpish  and  dull, 
but  as  cool  weather  comes  on,  he  wakes  up ;  and  now, 
my  boys,  look  out.  In  September  the  buck  begins  to 
harden  his  horns.  He  lies  in  side  hills  facing  the  sun,  and 
rubs  his  horns  against  little  bushes  to  get  off  the  bark  or 
velvety  skin.  Now  is  the  time  to  get  a  crack  at  him,  if 
you  can,  for  his  meat  is  excellent  for  food.  But  you  will 
have  to  be  sly  and  keep  to  windward  of  him,  for  he  is  on 
the  look-out,  and  if  the  wind  blows  from  you  to  him,  he 
will  scent  you.  To  know  how  the  wind  blows,  ever  so 
little,  put  your  finger  in  your  mouth  until  it  is  wet  and 
warm,  then  hold  it  above  your  head,  and  the  wind  will 
cool  it  on  the  side  from  which  it  comes.  This  is  a  hunter's 
trick.  >Tov/  proceed  to  hunt  against  the  v/ind,  and  when 
you  discover  a  deer,  raise  your  rifle  and  aim  at  the  knee 
of  the  fore  leg :  then  raise  the  muzzle  slowly  until  you 
sight  the  body,  (following  up  the  leg)  and  then  haul  off. 
Don't  hold  your  breath,  for  that  vv-ill  make  you  tremble, 
but  breathe  freely  until  you  get  ready  to  pull  tiigger. 

This  is  for  September.  In  October  the  buck  is  very 
shy  and  the  doe  twice  as  much  so.  She  goes  into  thickets 
to  hide  from  the  buck,  thus  keeps  well  hid  from  you,  while 
the  buck  passes  around  the  thicket  watching  for  her  to 
come  out.  When  he  gets  sight  of  her,  they  both  set  off 
as  if  routed  by  a  hunter.     During  this  month  but  few  deer 


DEER   nrXTIXG.  9 

are  killed.  In  aSToYcmber  the  fan  begins.  Then  the  doe 
comes  out  to  the  buck,  and  the  spring  fawn  generally  keeps 
with  its  mother,  so  that  you  may  get  sight  of  the  three  at 
once,  and  a  good  steady  marksman  sometimes  gets  all 
three  of  them  on  the  spot.  To  do  this,  shoot  the  doe  first ; 
the  buck  and  the  fawn  will  both  stay  around.  'Next  shoot 
the  buck  and  then  the  fawn,  so  as  to  have  the  three.  I 
want  to  tell  you  never  to  go  and  see  what  you  have  shot, 
without  first  loading  your  gun.  The  deer  may  not  be 
very  badly  wounded,  and  will  jump  up  and  run  away  un- 
less you  have  your  gun  ready  to  stop  him. 

This  reminds  me  of  a  couple  of  hunters,  John  Weiss  and 
George  Meyers.  They  started  out  on  a  deer  hunt  with 
about  ten  inches  of  loose  tracking  snow.  John  soon  dis- 
covered a  fine  large  buck,  and  at  once  took  aim  and  un- 
hitched the  contents  of  the  old  rifle.  Down  goes  the 
buck,  and  away  goes  John  to  cut  his  throat.  When  he 
gets  to  him,  down  goes  his  gun  into  the  snow.  George 
hears  the  report  of  the  gun  and  comes  up  about  this  time. 
John  had  laid  hold  of  the  buck  with  the  intention  of  let- 
ting blood,  but  up  come  the  hind  legs  and  wipe  John  off 
and  throw  his  knife  out  of  his  hand  some  distance.  John 
makes  a  spring  to  mount  him  again,  and  succeeds  in  strad- 
dling his  back  just  as  he  begins  to  rise.  George  had  now 
come  within  hailing  distance,  and  cried  out  in  broken  Eng- 
lish (for  they  were  Dutchmen)  "  Hang  on,  Chon !  Hang  on, 
Chon  !  "  and  away  went  buck,  "  Chon "  and  all  Well 
now,  John  found  himself  in  quite  a  fix,  going  through  the. 


10  THE   HUNTER    AND   TEAPPEE. 

air  at  a  great  i^ace.  The  ground  over  which  he  ran  was 
hilly  and  covered  with  oak  brush,  and  the  ohl  buck  made 
for  the  chimps  of  brushwood  to  wipe  the  rider  oif,  if  pos- 
sible. But  John  had  learned  something,  too :  he  found 
the  buck's  horns,  that  lie  back  on  his  neck  when  he  runs, 
to  be  of  use,  not  only  to  hold  on  by,  but  to  guide  his 
beast,  and  now  they  came  to  the  top  of  a  steep  hill,  clear 
of  brush  for  a  distance,  while  near  the  bottom  was  a  thick 
clump  of  brushwood.  Now  John  expected  his  death,  and 
commenced  to  pull  on  the  old  buck's  liorns  to  turn  him 
around.  To  his  great  joy  he  succeeded  in  turning  him,  and 
when  they  got  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  the  buck  was  so  dis- 
heartened, that  he  stood  still.  John  vforked  one  hand  into 
his  pocket,  got  out  a  small  knife,  opened  it  with  his  teeth, 
and  reached  around  and  cut  the  buck's  throat ;  and  he 
sat  there,  until  down  he  went,  and  up  came  George,  both 
as  highly  gratified  as  ever  two  boys  were;  but  some 
time  was  spent  in  hunting  up  the  gun  that  Avas  buried  in 
the  snow. 

The  deer  is  afraid  only  when  there  is  real  danger.  He 
is  not  afraid  of  you  when  you  are  at  work  driving  tenm, 
or  hoeing  or  chopping  ;  but  take  a  gun  and  begin  to  poke 
about,  and  you  will  find  him  oif.  I  once  saw  a  yearling 
doe  standing  far  out  in  a  forsaken  field.  I  had  no  gun 
and  no  means  of  killing  it.  There  was  a  little  snow  on 
the  ground,  which  had  a  crust  on  it  in  the  open  field.  My 
attention  was  called  to  the  deer  by  a  neighbor's  dog,  which 
stood  barking  at  it.     I  had  just  stepped  out  of  my  shop 


HOW    TO    CATCH   THE    FOX.  15 

trap  and  went  to  bed,  pretty  sure  of  catching  Mm.  I 
went  out  quite  early  the  next  morning,  and  to  my  sur- 
prise, there  lay  my  trap  bottom  side  up  and  not  sprung, 
but  entirely  naked.  This  same  thing  occurred  many 
times,  and  after  turning  it  over  the  fox  would  dung  in  it 
into  the  bargain.  Old  hunters  said  my  trap  was  not  clean, 
or  the  fox  would  not  be  able  to  smell  it  and  know  where 
it  was.  Being  at  Avork  in  a  blacksmith's  shop,  it  was  sug- 
gested to  me  to  take  a  piece  of  rusty  iron  and  to  place  it 
near  my  trap  in  the  bed.  This  I  did,  and  when  I  went 
out  next  morning  my  trap  was  gone.  I  found  it  on  top 
of  a  garden  fence  with  a  beautiful  gray  fox  in  it.  He  had 
dragged  it  this  far,  and  here  got  stuck  fast.  In  after  years 
I  learned  more  about  the  fox. 

HOW   TO    BAIT    THE    FOX     PEEYIOUS     TO    SETTIXG   THE   TE.'OP. 

Go  into  the  field  some  distance  from  the  house  or  barn, 
and  make  what  wo  call  a  hed^  three  feet  in  diameter,  or 
thereabout.  Wood  ashes  will  do,  but  hay  chaff  is  best. 
Oat  chaff  is  good,  wheat  chaff  is  better,  and  buckwheat 
chaff  better  still.  Make  it  deep  enough  to  cover  the  trap, 
and  have  some  under  the  trap  to  keep  it  off  of  the  ground 
or  snow.  Make  it  smooth  and  level,  and  put  some  beef 
scraps  on  it  and  throw  some  around  it.  This  will  induce 
the  fox  to  come  up  to  the  bed,  and  after  a  few  trials  he 
will  step  into  it  and  pick  up  the  scraps,  and  perhaps  turn 
it  bottom  side  up  to  see  what  there  is  in  it.  When  you 
have  got  hiiu  coming  regularly  and  taking  the  bait,  wash 


IG  THE    HII]SrTErw   AND    TEAPrEE. 

your  trap  clean  in  weak  lye,  grease  it,  and  nib  off  all  the 
rust  and  dirt.  Then  hold  it  in  the  smoke  of  burning  hen's 
feathers  until  it  is  well  smoked.  Chain  it  fast  to  a  piece 
of  wood  about  two  feet  long,  and  as  big  as  your  arm. 
ISTow  take  the  trap,  chain,  and  clog,  open  a  hole  in  tlie  bed, 
and  bury  them  neatly  in  the  chaff,  having  a  piece  of  wood 
under  the  trap  to  keep  it  steady,  and  a  sheet  of  paper  over 
it  so  that  the  chaff  will  not  jorevent  its  working  easily. 
Cover  everything  up  neatly,  and  sprinkle  the  bait  as  usual 
upon  the  bed. 

Approach  the  bed  only  from  one  side,  stepping  always 
in  the  same  tracks,  and  leave  as  little  sign  as  possible  that 
you  have  been  there.  If  snow  has  fallen  since  the  fox  was 
last  there,  take  a  meal  sieve  and  sift  a  little  snow  over  the 
heap  and  over  your  own  footprints  for  some  distance 
back  from  the  bed.  'Now  I  expect  you  will  catch  him, 
but  if  he  smells  the  trap  and  wont  come  to  the  bed  while 
it  is  there,  take  it  out  and  clean  it  better,  and  melt  some 
beeswax,  and  with  a  feather  smear  it  all  over  the  trap 
and  chain.  Kow  put  it  in  the  bed  again,  and  you  will  be 
quite  sure  of  the  fox. 

The  following  is  the  plan  of  a  great  Canadian  hunter, 
Mr.  Philemon  Pennock.  He  says :  —  Select  a  rise  of 
ground  in  a  back  field,  make  a  bed  of  ashes  or  mould 
large  enough  to  receive  your  steel  trap  level  with  the  sur- 
face. Bait  with  cheese  or  scraps  from  lard.  When  the 
fox  takes  the  bait,  set  your  trap  as  follows:  turn  the 
springs  toAvard  the  jaw  that  holds  up  the  pan  of  the  trap. 


now   TO    CATCH   THE    FOX.  17 

Put  the  trap  1ot7  enough  when  covered  to  be  level  with 
the  siirflice.  Put  hay  chaif  inside  of  the  javrs  level  v.ith 
tlie  pan.  Then  put  a  paper  over  the  pan  reaching  to  the 
inside  of  the  jaws.  Then  cover  with  ashes  or  mould,  and 
make  the  bed  look  as  it  did  before  the  trap  was  set.  Bait 
vrith  cheese  or  scraps,  or  fresh  meat  of  any  kind. 

Another  way  is  to  bury  the  entrails  "of  sheep  or  other 
animals  in  mellow  ground,  making  a  little  hill  over  them. 
Set  your  trap  just  at  the  edge  of  the  hill  in  the  dirt,  al- 
ways using  the  chaff  and  paper,  and  keep  your  trap  clean 
from  rust.     Scent  with  musk  or  lavender  water. 

Here  is  another  from  an  old  trapper  in  the  State  of  Oldo : 
— First  prepare  the  trap,  then  hold  it  in  the  smoke  of 
burning  oat  straw  until  it  begins  to  svreat.  Then  dry  it 
off  with  a  woollen  cloth,  and  throw  it  into  spring  v»^ater 
for  one  or  two  hom-s.  After  that,  dry  it  off  without  let- 
ting it  rust.  Make  the  bed  with  clover  or"  buckwheat 
chaff,  makhig  it  as  hard  as  possible  with  the  hand,  except 
a  hole  in  the  centre  for  the  trap,  which  set  in  and  cover 
lightly  with  chaff.  After  the  trap  is  set,  take  a  feather 
and  sprinkle  a  little  oil  of  amber  very  lightly  over  the  bed. 

Another  common-sense  way  of  catching  the  fox  is  to 
b^it  him  as  usual,  and  clean  your  trap  as  clean  as  possible, 
not  only  from  rust  and  dirt  (these  should  not  be  in  your 
trap  any  way),  but  of  all  human  scent,  such  as  it  would 
get  by  handling  with  your  naked  hands,  or  in  any  way 
touching  your  body.  This  is  what  the  fox  becomes  cun 
ning  about ;  but  a  trap  vrashed  out  in  ashes  and  water, 


18  THE    HUNTER   AND   TRAPPEE. 

laid  by  until  it  is  dry,  and  then  handled  with  a  pair  of 
clean  gloves,  will  no  more  scare  a  fox  than  would  so  much 
stone  covered  up.  Don't  spit  about  the  bed,  nor  track 
about  it,  and  when  you  have  caught  a  fox,  don't  handle 
the  trap  ^vith.  your  bare  hands,  and  you  may  catch  a  dozen 
without  more  cleaning. 


CHAPTER  III. 

HOW  TO  HUNT  AND  CATCH  THE  BEAVER. 

During  tlie  greater  part  of  the  time  since  the  settlement 
of  America  by  Europeans,  the  beaver  has  been  a  favorite 
object  with  hunters.  The  general  aspect  of  the  beaver  is 
that  of  a  very  large  muskrat,  but  the  greater  size  of  the 
beaver,  the  thickness  and  breadth  of  its  head,  and  its  hor- 
izontally flattened,  broad,  and  scaly  tail,  render  it  impos- 
sible to  mistake  it  for  any  other  creature.  When  closely 
examined  in  its  movements,  both  on  shore  and  in  the  wa- 
ter, it  also  closely  resembles  the  mnskrat,  having  the  same 
qnick  step,  with  great  vigor  and  celerity,  either  on  the 
surface  or  in  the  depths  of  the  water. 

Beavers  have  long  been  the  theme  of  the  naturalist's 

admiration,  on  account  of  their  apparent  sagacity  and  skill 

in  building  their  habitations.  They  are  not  particular  in  the 

site  they  select  for  their  dwellings,  but  in  a  lake  or  pond 

where  a  dam  is  not  required,  they  are  careful  to  build 

where  the  water  is  sufficiently  deep.     The  materials  used 

in  constructing  their  dams  are  the  trunks  and  branches 

of  small  birch,  mulberry,  willow,  poplar,  alder,  elm,  ash, 

etc.     The  strength  of  their  teeth  and  their  perseverance 

may  be  estimated  by  the  size  of  the  trees  they  cut  down. 

Dr.  Best  informs  us  that  he  has  seen  a  mulberry  tree  eight 
19 


20  THE    HUNTER   AXD   TEAPPER. 

inches  in  diameter  wliich  had  been  gnawed  down  by  the 
beavers.  I  have  seen  botli  asli  and  ehn  of  tliat  size  cut 
down  by  them.  These  are  cut  in  such  a  manner  as  to  fall 
into  the  Avater,  and  then  floated  toAvards  the  site  of  tbe 
dam.  The  figure  of  the  dam  varies,  according  as  the 
stream  has  a  gentle  or  a  rapid  current.  Along  Vv^ith  the 
trunks  and  branches  of  trees,  tliey  intermingle  mud  and 
stones,  to  give  greater  security,  and  the  dams  remain  long 
after  the  beavers  liave  been  exterminated.  The  d\velIinG;s 
of  the  beavers  are  formed  of  the  same  material  as  the  dam, 
and  are  adapted  in  size  to  the  number  of  inhabitants ; 
there  are  seldom  more  than  four  old  ones,  and  six  or  eight 
young  ones.  The  walls  are  very  skillfully  and  strongly 
constructed,  and  tlie  whole  fabric  is  a  curious  evidence 
of  the  sagacity  of  the  animal.  To  capture  beavers  resid- 
ing on  a  small  river  or  creek,  the  Indians  find  it  necessary 
to  stake  the  stream  across,  to  prevent  the  animals  from  es- 
caping, and  then  they  try  to  ascertain  where  tlie  vaults  or 
washes  in  the  banks  are  situated.  This  can  only  be  done  by 
those  who  are  very  experienced  in  suck  explorations.  The 
hunter  is  furnislied  v/itli'  an  ice-cMsel,  lashed  to  a  handle 
four  or  five  feet  in  length.  With  this  instrument  he 
strikes  against  the  ice,  as  he  goes  along  the  edge  of  th 
banks.  The  sound  produced  by  the  blow  informs  him 
v\'hen  he  is  opposite  one  of  these  vaults.  When  one  is 
discovered,  a  hole  is  cut  througli  tlie  ice  sufiiciently  large 
to  admit  a  full-grown  beaver,  and  the  search  is  continued 
until  as  many  of  the  places  of  retreat  are  discovered  as 


HOW   TO    HUNT   AND    CATCH   THE    BEAYEll.  21 

possible.  Duiing  the  time  the  most  expert  hunters  eve 
thus  occupiocl,  the  others,  vrith  the  women,  are  busy  m 
breakmg  open  the  beaver-houses,  whicli,  as  may  be  sup 
posed  from  what  has  been  ah-eacly  stated,  is  a  task  of  some 
difficulty.  The  beavers,  alarmed  at  the  invasion  of  their 
dwellings,  take  to  the  water  and  swim  with  surprising 
swiftness  to  iheir  retreats  in  the  banks ;  but  their  entrance 
is  betrayed  to  the  hunters  watching  the  holes  m  the  ice, 
by  the  motion  and  discoloration  of  the  water.  The  entrance 
is  instantly  closed  with  stakes  of  wood,  and  the  beaver, 
instead  of  finding  shelter  in  his  cave,  is  made  prisoner  and 
destroyed.  The  hunter  then  pulls  the  animal  out,  if  with- 
in reach,  by  the  introduction  of  his  hand  and  arm,  or  by 
a  hook  designed  for  this  use  fastened  to  a  long  handle. 
Beaver-houses  found  in  lakes  or  other  standing  waters 
offer  an  easy  prey  to  hunters,  as  there  is  no  occasion  for 
Staking  the  water  across. 

Among  the  Hudson  Bay  Indians  every  hunter  has  the 
exclusive  right  to  all  the  beavers  caught  in  the  washes 
discovered  by  him.  Each  individual,  on  finding  one, 
places  some  mark,  such  as  a  pole  or  the  branch  of  a  tree 
stuck  up,  in  order  to  know  his  own.  Beavers  caught  in 
any  house  are  also  the  property  of  the  discoverer,  who 
takes  care  to  mark  his  claim. 

The  number  of  beavers  killed  in  the  northern  parts  of 
this  country  is  exceedingly  great,  even  at  the  present 
time,  after  the  fur  trade  has  been  carried  on  for  so  many 
years,  and  the   most  indiscriminate   warfire    waged   un- 


22  TUE    HUNTER    AND   TEAPPEE. 

interruptedly  against  the  species.  In  the  year  1820,  sixty 
thousand  beaver  skins  were  sold  by  the  Pludson  Bay  Com- 
pany, which  we  can  by  no  means  suppose  to  be  the  whole 
number  killed  during  the  preceding  season.  If  to  these 
be  added  the  quantities  collected  by  the  traders  from  the 
Indians  of  the  Missouri  country,  we  may  form  some  idea 
of  the  immense  number  of  these  animals  which  exist 
throughout  the  vast  regions  of  the  IsTorth  and  West.  It 
is  a  subject  of  regret  that  an  animal  so  valuable  and  pro- 
lific should  be  hunted  in  a  manner  tending  so  evidently  to 
the  extermination  of  the  species,  when  a  little  care 
and  management  on  the  part  of  those  interested  might 
prevent  unnecessary  destruction,  and  increase  the  source 
of  their  revenue.  The  old  beavers  are  frequently  killed 
within  a  short  time  of  their  littering  season,  and  with  ev- 
ery such  death  from  three  to  six  are  destroyed ;  the  young- 
are  often  killed  before  they  have  attained  half  their  growth 
and  value,  and  of  necessity,  long  before  they  have  con- 
tributed to  the  continuance  of  their  species.  In  a  few 
years,  comparatively  speaking,  the  beaver  has  been  ex- 
terminated in  all  the  Atlantic  and  in  the  Western  States, 
as  far  as  the  middle  and  upper  v/aters  of  the  Missouri ; 
Avhile  in  the  Hudson  Bay  Possessions  they  are  becoming 
annually  more  scarce,  and  the  race  v»all  eventually  be  ex- 
tinguished throughout  the  whole  continent.  A  few  indi- 
viduals may,  for  a  time,  elude  the  immediate  violence  of 
persecution,  and  like  the  degraded  descendants  of  the 
aborigines  of  our  soil  be  occasionally  exhibited  as  melan- 


now  TO  iirxT  axd  catch  the  eeavek.  23 

clioly  mementos  of  the  tribes  long  previously  whelmed  in 
the  fathomless  gulf  of  avarice.  The  business  of  trapping 
requires  great  experience  and  caution,  as  the  senses  of  the 
beaver  are  very  keen,  and  enable  him  to  detect  the  recent 
presence  of  the  hunter  by  the  slightest  traces.  It  is  neces- 
sary that  the  hands  should  be  washed  clean  before  the  trap 
is  handled  and  baited,  and  tliat  every  precaution  should 
be  employed  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  animal. 

The  bait  which  is  used  to  entice  the  beavers  is  prepared 
from  the  substance  called  castor,  obtained  from  the  gland- 
ulous  pouches  of  the  male  animal,  which  contains  some- 
times from  two  to  three  ounces.  This  substance  is  called 
by  the  hunters  harkst07iG^  and  is  squeezed  gently  into  an 
open-mouthed  phial.  The  contents  of  five  or  six  of  these 
castor  bags  are  mixed  with  a  nutmeg,  twelve  or  fifteen 
cloves,  and  tliirty  grains  of  cinnamon,  in  fine  powder,  and 
then  the  whole  is  stirred  up  with  as  much  whiskey  as  will 
give  it  the  consistency  of  mustard  prepared  for  the  table. 
This  mixture  must  be  kept  closely  corked  up,  and  in  four 
or  five  days  the  odor  will  become  more  powerful ;  v.ith 
care  it  may  be  preserved  for  months  without  injury.  Va- 
rious other  strong  aromatics  are  sometimes  used  to  in- 
ci'ease  the  pungency  of  the  odor.  Some  of  this  prepara- 
lion,  smeared  upon  the  bits  of  wood  with  which  the  traps 
are  baited,  will  entice  the  beaver  from  a  great  distance. 

The  castor,  whose  odor  is  similar  to  tanners'  ooze,  gets 
the  name  of  barkstone  from  its  resemblance  to  finely  pow- 
dered bark ;  the  sacks  that  contain  it  are  about  two  inches 


24:         ^  THE    IIUXTEE    AND    TRAPPER. 

in  length.  Behind  these,  and  between  the  skin  and  root 
of  the  tail,  are  found  two  other  oval  cists,  lying  together, 
which  contain  a  pure,  strong  oil  of  a  rancid  smell. 

During  the  winter  season  the  beaver  becomes  very  fat, 
and  its  flesh  is  esteemed  by  the  hunters  as  excellent  food, 
but  those  occasionally  caught  in  the  summer  are  very  thin 
and  unfit  for  the  table.  They  lead  so  wandering  a  life  at 
tliis  season,  and  are  so  much  exhausted  by  the  collection 
of  materials  for  building,  or  the  winter  stock  of  provisions, 
as  well  as  by  suckling  their  young,  as  to  be  generally,  at 
that  time,  in  a  very  poor  condition.  Their  fiu',  during  the 
summer,  is  of  little  value,  and  it  is  only  in  winter  that  it 
is  to  be  obtained  in  that  state  vfhich  renders  it  so  desira- 
ble to  the  fur  traders. 

Beaver  hunting  is  a  laborious  occupation.  With  your 
beaver  traps  on  your  back  you  start  into  the  wild  woods 
and  go  to  some  small  branches  or  creeks  that  empty  into 
lakes  or  large  streams.  Follow  these  up  until  you  dis- 
cover small  trees,  cut  down  by  the  beaver.  It  is  not  ex- 
actly like  chopping  done  with  an  axe,  but  it  is  fairly 
chopped  after  all, — cut  smoothly  from  above  and  below, 
lengthv/ise  with  the  grain.  If  the  cut  seems  fresh  and 
new,  the  beavers  are  close  by.  Don't  make  much  noise, 
nor  leave  much  sign  behind  you,  if  you  intend  to  catch 
them  in  a  trap. 

We  will  suppose  this  is  late  in  the  fall,  just  before  the 
winter  sets  in,  and  that  you  suddenly  come  upon  a  dam 
as  you  travel  up  the  little  stream,  and  it  proves  to  be  an 


nOY>'    TO    HUNT    AXD    CATCH    THE    BEATER.  2o 

old  dam  of  long  standing  ydtli  a  large  pond  of  water 
above  it.  Yon  may  naturally  conclude  tliat  tliere  is  a 
large  family  of  beavers,  say  eight  or  ten  in  number.  Of 
course  you  want  to  catch  them  all  in  your  trap,  so  hunt 
carefully  around  the  pond  and  you  will  find  their  feeding 
place,  where  they  have  eaten  the  bark  oS"  from  their  feed 
wood.  Here  set  your  trap  in  four  inches  of  water,  with  a 
twelve-pound  stone  fastened  to  the  end  of  the  chain. 
Fasten  to  it  also  a  piece  of  bark  twelve  or  fourteen  feet 
long,  the  other  end  being  fastened  to  the  shore.  When 
the  bearer  is  caught  he  will  make  for  deep  water,  and  the 
stone  will  sink  him  and  drown  him.  The  bark  will  let 
him  go  far  enough,  and  will  enable  yon  to  trace  the  trap 
and  pull  him  out.  The  bark  should  be  fastened  to  a  stake 
under  water,  and  the  slack  should  be  coiled  up  and  put 
under  the  stone.  The  whole  apparatus,  except  the  trap, 
should  be  nicely  covered  with  mud.  K  you  find  the  place 
where  they  haul  in  tbeir  timber,  set  a  trap  there  in  the 
same  way.  Also  just  at  the  mouths  of  their  holes,  under 
water.  Always  have  the  trap  sufiiciently  weighted,  or  the 
beaver  will  come  ashore  and  amputate  his  leg.  AYhen  you 
set  the  trap  at  the  feeding  place,  smear  the  wood  around 
it  with  the  castor  scent  before  described. 

Xow  I  must  tell  you  of  one  of  my  beaver  hunts.  When 
I  was  a  boy  I  went  with  one  of  my  comrades,  loaded 
with  our  guns,  traps,  blankets,  and  provisions,  to  the 
liead  of  a  small  stream  in  the  middle  of  a  great  cedar 
swamp.  We  foUovred  the  stream  through  swamps  and 
2 


26  THE    IIUXTER    AND   TEAPPEE. 

thickets  for  a  mile  or  so,  sometimes  crawling  on  our  hands 
and  knees,  and  sometimes  climbing  over  fallen  trees.  By 
and  by  onr  little  creek  grew  broader,  and  as  we  began  to 
leave  the  swamp,  it  spread  into  a  large  pond  vritli  a  dam 
about  thirty  rods  long.  On  one  side  the  land  was  rather 
low,  on  the  other  side  a  steep  bluff,  rising  directly  from 
the  water  to  the  height  of  about  eighty  feet.  The  bluff 
was  covered  with  a  growth  of  small  poplar  and  birch. 
The  beaver  had  made  roads  or  slides  from  the  very  top  to 
the  bottom,  some  smooth  and  neat.  They  cut  their  wood 
on  the  very  top  of  the  bluff,  and  slid  it  down  into  the 
pond. 

Now  here  was  a  chance  to  catch  a  beaver,  but  I  lacked 
just  such  a  little  book  as  this  to  tell  me  how  to  do  it.  It 
was  near  night,  and  we  cut  a  hole  in  the  dam,  and  set  one 
trap  there  and  another  at  a  feeding  ]Dlace ;  then  we  went 
over  behind  the  hill  to  camp  for  the  night.  It  was  not 
very  far  away,  the  hill  being  a  narrow  one.  Here  we 
struck  a  fire  and  prepared  our  supper  of  broiled  pork  and 
bread,  and  got  ready  for  a  night's  rest.  But  the  scent  of 
the  broiled  pork  attracted  the  attention  of  a  pack  of  gray 
wolves  of  the  bigger  sort,  and  when  we  had  got  fairly 
down  and  asleep,  with  our  guns  under  our  heads,  the  ' 
whole  pack  set  up  a  howl  vrhich  made  us  dream  of  wolves 
until  I  awoke,  whispering  to  my  companion ;  this  caused 
him  to  start  up  and  speak  aloud.  One  old  she-wolf,  which 
had  come  up  within  a  few  feet  of  us,  commenced  to  bark 
outright.     Just  then  my  old  gun  poured  out  a  stream  of 


now  TO  nUXT  AXD  CATCH  THE  BEAVER.       27 

fire,  that  looked  a  rod  long  in  the  j^itch  darkness,  and  the 
whole  pack  set  u])  a  howl  that  made  the  woods  roar  agam. 
A  few  discharges  of  our  guns,  one  at  a  time,  made  them 
change  their  minds,  and  we  started  up  our  fire,  which  drove 
them  off  to  the  distance  of  about  half  a  mile,  where  they 
kept  up  their  howling  until  daybreak.  The  muss  upset 
our  beaver  catching  for  that  night,  and  finally,  when  we 
did  get  a  couple  in  the  traps,  as  they  were  not  weighted, 
one  of  tlicm  ran  away  with  the  trap  after  cutting  a  dry 
ash  j^ole  nearly  in  two  in  several  places,  and  the  other 
drew  himself  ashore  and  cut  off  his  leg,  leaving  that  in 
the  trap  to  tell  the  story. 

Wlien  you  cut  a  beaver  dam,  don't  make  a  hole  more 
than  six  inches  deep.  Wade  in  the  water  while  you  are 
doing  it;  don't  step  on  the  land,  and  don't  spit  on  it; 
neither  handle  it  with  dirty  hands.  Set  the  trap  as  before 
directed  in  about  four  inches  of  water  where  they  v»^ould 
naturally  svrim  up  to  the  gap  in  the  dam,  and  you  will  be 
sure  to  catch  them. 

Another  mode  is  to  take  a  poplar  or  alder  stick  or  pole, 
and  stick  it  in  the  water  in  a  slanting  direction  near  the 
feeding  place.  Set  the  traj)  near  the  bottom  of  the  stick, 
and  as  they  work  down  in  gnawing  off  the  bark  for  food, 
they  will  get  into  the  trajx  This  plan  works  well  aftei* 
the  water  is  frozen  over. 


CHAPTER     IV, 


HOW    TO    CATCH    THE    OTTER. 


The  otter  is  a  sliy  animal,  seldom  seen  by  day,  and  yet 
it  is  a  hovering  creature.  He  is  an  amphibious  aaiimal, 
and  will  sometimes  go  forty  or  fifty  rods  under  water 
without  coming  to  the  surface  to  breathe,  w^hile  he  fre- 
quently makes  a  land  journey  of  two  or  three  miles,  to 
pass  from  one  stream  to  another.  When  there  is  snow  on 
the  ground  the  otter  travels  mostly  by  sliding.  He  takes 
two  or  three  steps  and  then  turns  over  on  his  back  and 
slides  eight  or  ten  feet,  on  the  level,  and  much  more  on 
descending  ground.  They  propel  themselves  along  with 
their  hind  legs,  which  are  quite  long  and  partly  wxb-foot- 
ed.  They  are  very  fond  of  playing  in  the  snow;  they 
will  seek  out  a  steep  place,  directly  at  the  w^ater  side, 
crawl  to  the  top  of  it,  and  then  face  about  and  go  head 
first  down  into  the  water;  then  up  they  climb  and  at  it 
again,  having  great  sport.  One  of  these  slides  is  the  best 
place  for  catching  the  otter  in  a  steel  trap,  which  should 
be  set  \vith  a  heavy  stone,  chain,  and  strip  of  bark,  ex-  I 
actly  as  described  for  the  beaver,  in  about  four  inches  of 
water  near  where  they  climb  out  to  crawd  up  the  slide. 

The  otter  is  a  great  hand  to  catch  fish,  and  seems  to 
have  some  means  to  attract  them,  and  make  them  so  tame 
that  he  can  pick  them  up  as  he  pleases.     It  is  supposed  by 

some  that  he  drops  his  musk  or  oil  in  the  water,  and  calls 

28 


.j,v\>    r""^"!)^  ii>  "'?>l%|%^      M 


now   TO    CATCH   THS    OTTEll.  29 

the  fish  m  that  way.  Ho^y  tliat  is  I  don't  j^retcnd  to 
knoTT,  but  he  has  been  seen  to  climb  up  on  a  big  stone  or 
log,  and  after  sitting  there  a  httle  while,  to  plunge  into 
the  water,  soon  returning  with  a  pickerel  or  a  sucker,  when 
he  vrould  sit  and  eat  it,  and  when  finished,  make  a  dive 
and  fetch  out  another.  One  mode  of  hunting  or  trap- 
ping the  otter  is  to  take  a  vial  of  otter  musk  and  go  to 
some  place  where  a  log  lies  in  a  stream,  vrith  one  end 
sticking  out  of  the  water.  Set  your  trap  on  the  log  vrhere 
the  water  is  about  four  inches  deep,  and  smear  some  of 
the  musk  on  the  upper  end  of  the  log.  Or  you  may  set 
your  trap  alongside  of  a  stick  or  any  other  object,  on 
which  you  can  put  the  scent,  taking  a  bush  or  sapling  with 
the  leaves  on,  shai'pening  its  lower  end  and  sticking  it 
through  the  ring  of  the  trap  chain  ;  then  set  it  up  in  the 
water  as  though  it  grew  there,  for  a  clog  to  your  trap  and 
a  mark  to  find  it  by. 

In  all  of  these  preparations  you  must  be  careful  to  leave 
no  sign  of  your  having  been  around ;  every  place  where 
you  have  stood,  and  every  thing  you  have  touched,  should 
be  washed  by  having  water  thrown  upon  them. 

It  is  better  to  set  your  traps  with  a  canoe,  or,  in  a  smaU 
stream,  by  wading.  In  hunting  for  the  otter,  it  is  of  no 
use  to  look  anywhere,  except  where  there  are  plenty  of 
fish,  for  they  live  mostly  on  this  food.  They  cat  craw- 
fish, and  I  think  some  clams,  but  I  am  not  able  to  say 
whether  they  eat  any  kind  of  fowL  They  are  to  be  found 
at  the  inlets  of  little  lakes,  and  they  frequent  small  streams 


so  THE    nUNTEIl    AND    TRAPPEK. 

that  have  trout  and  chub  in  them.  Tlicy  go  into  big  riv- 
ers, too,  and  they  may  he  found  in  winter  near  quick  wa- 
ter, where  they  will  have  holes  through  the  ice  at  which 
they  come  up  and  feed.  If  the  water  is  not  more  than  a 
foot  deep,  fasten  a  big  stone  to  your  trap  and  set  it  down 
on  the  bottom,  being  careful  to  leave  room  for  them  to 
pass  to  and  fro,  between  the  ice  and  the  trap ;  otherwise 
they  will  spring  it  with  the  belly  and  not  get  caught.  It 
must  be  at  least  a  foot  deep  from  the  ice  to  the  trap  to  al- 
low them  to  get  caught,  and  if  the  water  is  from  three  to 
six  feet  deep,  bait  the  trap  with  a  little  trout,  or  dace,  or 
sucker,  fastened  into  the  pan  lengthwise  of  the  trap.  Then 
sink  the  traj:),  right  side  up,  directly  under  the  hole,  and 
you  v/ill  catch  him  by  the  nose,  if  the  trap  is  smart  enough. 
There  are  various  other  ways  to  outgeneral  this  sly,  cun- 
ning animal.  One  of  these  is  after  this  fashion.  Go  to 
the  place  where  he  burrows  in  the  bank,  making  a  hole 
under  water ;  set  your  trap  directly  in  the  mouth  of  the 
hole,  and  when  he  goes  in  or  out,  you  will  catch  him. 
Another  way  is  to  find  some  bushy  point  under  cedars  or 
other  thick  trees,  where  the  bank  rises  directly  up  from 
the  water;  there  make  a  slide  in  the  fall  of  the-year,  that 
will  look  as  though  a  log  had  been  drawn  endwise  down 
into  the  water.  Choose  a  handy  place  to  set  your  trap, 
where  the  water  is  shoal  at  the  edge  and  deepens  rapidly. 
Sprinkle  sweet  oil  or  other  musk  about  the  slide.  In 
early  spring  set  your  trap  as  directed  above,  and  you  will 
catch  the  first  otter  that  comes  alone. 


CHAPTER     V. 

HOW    TO    CATCH    THE    MINK. 

This  little  animal,  whicli  is  much  like  the  weasel,  has, 
of  late  years,  become  so  valuable,  that  no  pains  is  sjoared 
to  obtain  his  hide.  It  is  but  a  few  years  since  that  a  mink 
skin  would  not  brmg  above  thirty  cents.  The  value  of 
the  fur  was  not  known.  At  this  time,  although  he  is  so 
small  a  creature,  a  prime  northern  skin  is  worth  from  ten 
to  twelve  dollars.  The  mink  is  shaped  much  like  the  ot- 
ter, and  although  he  appears  to  be  no  more  fitted  for 
swimming  than  the  weasel,  yet  the  water  is  his  home. 
He  eats  fishes  and  frogs,  and  craw-fish,  and  now  and  then 
gets  into  the  barn  and  steals  chickens,  and  goslings,  and 
ducks,  and  crawls  into  the  cellar  and  eats  up  the  sausage 
meat,  and  whatever  he  can  lay  his  jaws  to.  He  is  a  pilfer- 
ing little  rascal,  and  yet  so  simple  and  foolish  that  he  will 
run  into  a  naked  trap.  For  the  sake  of  something  to  eat, 
lie  runs  up  streams  of  Avater  and  crosses  the  land  from  one 
lake  to  another, — a  regular  renegade.  He  burrows  in 
steep  banks,  or  under  old  roots,  or  in  the  rocks.  The 
young  are  brought  forth  in  May  or  June,  in  litters  of  five 

or  six, — black  looking  little  things. 
31 


82  THE    IIUXTER    AND    TRAPPER. 

To  catch  tbis  animal,  you  have  only  to  be  acquainted 
with  its  hahits.  lie  follows  streams  of  water,  hunting  ev- 
ery nook  and  corner  for  something  to  eat.  Place  your 
trap  near  the  edge  of  the  water,  (so  that  it  will  be  cover- 
ed about  an  inch  deep,)  directly  in  front  of  a  steep  bank 
or  rock,  or  something  on  which  you  can  hang  your  bait, 
about  eighteen  inches  above  the  level  of  the  trap,  which 
must  be  so  close  to  the  shore  that  the  mink  cannot  get  to 
the  bait  without  ste23ping  on  it.  The  bait  should  be  fresh 
fish  or  frogs,  or  the  head  of  some  bird  or  fowl.  He  is 
very  fond  of  brains. 

Another  plan  is  to  set  your  trap  on  the  land  about  two 
feet  from  the  shore,  covering  it  v,dth  a  few  leaves,  moss, 
grass,  or  loose  dirt,  or  anything  that  mil  not  prevent  the 
jaws  from  closing.  Hang  the  bait  about  eighteen  inches 
above  it,  and  scent  it  with  a  mixture  made  of  equal  parts 
of  honey,  sweet  oil,  and  essence  of  peppermint.  About  a 
teaspoonful  of  this  on  the  bait  will  cause  them  to  come 
from  a  long  distance.  Some  use  wooden  traps,  with 
which  they  are  quite  successful. 

The  following  is  a  good  -plan :  Set  your  traps  about  two 
feet  back  from  the  water,  and  from  forty  to  eighty  rods 
apart,  up  or  down  the  stream.  Then  walk  over  the  Ime, 
drawing  after  you  the  carcass  of  a  muskrat,  or  a  roasted 
crow,  or  almost  any  fresh  meat ;  and  any  mink  that  crosses 
this  line  or  trail  will  follow  it  to  the  trap.  It  is  also  a 
good  plan  to  set  your  trap  where  the  mink  must  walk 
over  it  to  get  at  the  bait.     He  is  a  great  fellow  to  catch 


HOW   TO    CATCH   THE    illXK.  33 

muskrats,  which  he  loves  to  eat,  and  you  may  "bait  the 
trap  with  muskrat  carcass  and  set  it  in  a  rat  house,  where 
you  will  often  find  handfuls  of  little  fish  that  the  mink 
has  brought  there.  In  the  winter  time  he  travels  along 
si)ringy  brooks,  pulling  out  frogs,  and  here  he  may  easily 
be  caught.  You  may  also  catch  them  in  winter  at  the 
sides  of  big  springs,  or  along  the  springy  sides  of  joonds 
and  swamps,  where  they  like  to  roam. 

2* 


CHAPTER     YI. 

HOW    TO    HUNT    AND    CATCH    THE    MUSKRAT. 

The  musquash,  or  muskrat  as  it  is  often  called,  is  another 
peculiar  American  animal,  which  is  so  well  known  as 
scarcely  to  require  description.  It  is  also  very  w^idely  distrib- 
uted over  the  United  States,  frequenting  alike  land  border- 
ing uj^on  salt  and  fresh  water,  choosing  swamps  with  dry, 
sandy  banks,  or  earth  embankments,  in  which  it  burrows. 
It  is  ten  or  tw^elve  inches  long,  with  a  thick-set,  archiug 
body ;  head  short,  but  rat-like ;  and  the  gnawing  or  front 
teeth  very  large,  long,  and  powerful.  The  hind  feet  are 
very  long,  and  a  short  web  is  found  only  between  the 
longest  toes ;  yet  the  animals  are  rapid  and  strong  swim- 
mers. The  tail  of  the  musquash  is  compressed  vertically, 
that  is,  it  is  flat,  the  edges  being  above  and  below.  The 
beaver,  which  the  muskrat  greatly  resembles  in  its  hab- 
its, and  wdiich  is  naturally  close  akin  to  it,  has  a  broad, 
horizontally  flat  tail.  Like  the  beaver,  the  musquash 
builds  his  dam-like  house  in  the  sw^amps,  ponds,  and 
marshes,  setting  the  house  upon  the  end  of  a  log,  or  some- 
thing that  wdll  swim,  in  the  event  of  a  flood,  otherwise 
they  w^ould  be  drowned  out ;  and  where  they  are  frozen 
down  in  time  of  low  water,  when  the  flood  comes,  they 

have  to  abandon  the  house  and  go  to  their  holes  in  the 
3^ 


now   TO    HUNT    AXD    CATCH    THE    MUSKEAT.  35 

banks,  or  tliey  drown  in  their  houses,  being  shut  in  by  ice. 
The  materials  used  in  building  are  roots  and  grass,  and 
mud,  carried  together  by  mouthfuls  and  completely  pack- 
ed ;  pond  lily  tops,  where  they  grow,  form  a  large  pait 
of  the  house.  They  have  a  nice  little  chamber  above  the 
water,  where  they  sleep,  with  an  aperture  through  which 
they  can  dive  into  the  water  at  any  alaim  from  without ; 
the  house  on  the  outside  has  the  appearance  of  a  heap  of 
lialf-rotten  manure,  with  some  sticks  in  it.  These  houses 
they  commence  to  build  about  the  first  of  October,  or 
when  frosty  nights  begin  to  prevail,  and  they  abandon 
them  when  warm  weather  comes  again.  This  house- 
building is  a  mutual  thing ;  if  there  were  ten  houses  in  a 
pond,  and  you  should  destroy  nine  of  them,  they  would 
all  go  the  tenth,  and  there,  by  carefully  managing,  you 
might  catch  the  whole.     They  eat  the  roots  of  aquatic 

»lants,  calamus,  pond  lilies,  etc.,  and  are  veiy  fond  of 
^resh  water  shell  fish,  especially  the  clam.  So  far  as  their 
food  goes,  they  do  the  farmer  little  damage.  The  name 
muskrat  is  obviously  derived  from  the  strong  odor  of 
musk.  "  Musquash  "  is  said  to  be  the  Indian  name,  and 
is  preferable,  for  he  is  not  a  rat  in  any  proper  sense,  but,  so 

0  speak,  a  beaver  on  a  small  scale.  I  shall  now  try  to  tell 
you  how  to  successfully  hunt  and  trap  him.  As  soon  as 
the  ice  goes  off  in  the  spring,  you  should  commence,  as 
his  fur  is  then  at  its  best. 

The  muskrat  drops  liis  dung  on  logs  or  sticks  resting  on 
the  bank,  with  one  end  in  the  water.     When  you  find  his 


36  THE    HUNTER   AND    TEAPPER. 

"  sign "  on  a  log,  chop  a  notch  in  it  and  set  your  trap 
about  an  inch  under  water,  putting  the  chain-ring  over  a 
tally  stick  or  over  a  stake  driven  into  the  log,  in  such  a 
2^osition  that  the  muskrat  may  get  into  water  deep  enough 
to  drown  him.  So  go  along  near  the  shore  in  your  canoe, 
huntiiig  out  these  resorts  of  the  muskrat,  and  set  your 
traps  as  directed.  On  a  moonlight  night  at  this  season 
of  the  year,  you  may  go  with  your  boat  or  canoe  into 
some  sly  place,  and  then  set  up  a  squeaking  noise  as  much 
like  a  rat  as  you  can.  If  any  are  wdthin  hearing  they  will 
soon  make  their  appearance,  and  you  may  take  aim  at  the 
head  and  shoot.  This  is  a  good  way  to  hunt  them  along 
the  edge  of  drowned  land,  and  in  ponds  and  lakes.  An- 
other good  plan  is  to  set  your  trap  in  two  or  three  inches 
of  water,  at  the  places  where  they  crawl  ashore  to  dig  for 
roots,  and  if  you  place  a  bit  of  parsnip,  sweet  apple,  or 
carrot,  on  the  end  of  a  stick  just  over  the  traj),  you  will 
be  quite  sure  of  a  catch. 

Do  not  commence  hunting  too  early  in  the  fall ;  they  do 
not  bring  forth  their  kittens  until  midsummer,  and  about 
the  first  of  September  they  are  but  little  things  with  very 
black  2^elts,  and  hardly  worth  the  catching.  But  as  soon 
as  frosty  nights  come,  and  they  begin  to  build  their 
houses,  you  may  go  to  Avork  setting  your  traps  two  or 
tliree  inches  under  water,  at  the  place  wdiere  they  haul  up 
their  building  material.  At  this  season  they  feed  chiefly 
on  aquatic  plants,  and  form  large  beds  of  loose  stuff  at 
their  feeding  places,  and  you  may  set  your  trap  in  these  beds. 


HOW   TO    HUXT   ASD    CATCH    THE    MUSKP.AT.  37 

In  winter,  when  the  ice  has  made  a  bridge  over  all,  go 
to  one  of  their  houses,  and  on  the  south  side  make  an  open- 
ing through  the  side  directly  into  their  chamber,  and  set 
your  trap  at  the  entrance  of  the  dive-hole.  Close  up  the 
opening  that  you  have  made,  and  you  vrill  soon  catch  the 
rat.  If  there  are  other  houses,  destroy  all  but  this  one, 
to  which  the  whole  colony  will  come,  and  you  may  catch 
them  all ;  or  you  may  have  a  one-tined  spear  made  of 
round  three-eighths  rod,  about  eighteen  inches  long,  with 
a  strong  beard  near  the  point.  Have  this  fixed  to  a  han- 
dle, say  four  feet  long.  Go  very  softly  up  to  the  south 
side  of  the  house,  and  drive  in  your  spear  in  a  slanting  di- 
rection, a  few  mches  above  the  ice.  You  will  often  transfix 
two  at  a  time.  Or  you  may  demolish  the  house  and  watch, 
the  dive-hole,  spearing  the  animal  when  you  see  his  nose 
come  up. 

You  may  use  a  scent  to  call  the  muskrat  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year.  There  are  various  things  that  will  do 
it.  Perhaps  the  strongest  is  found  in  the  female  rat,  in  a 
small  bag  which  holds  from  thirty  to  forty  drops,  and  lies 
near  the  vagina.  Carrying  this  scent  in  a  vial,  go  to  a 
log  which -lies  with  one  end  in  the  water,  set  your  trap  and 
fasten  it  as  above  directed,  and  put  a  drop  or  two  of  oil 
en  the  log  just  above  the  water.  The  first  rat  that  comes 
along  will  be  yours.  The  oils  of  rliodium  and  amber  can 
be  used  in  tiie  same  manner  to  advantage. 


CHAPTER     VII. 

HOW    TO    CATCH    THE    MARTEN. 

The  Pine  Marten,  a  native  of  the  North,  and  an  inhabit- 
ant of  the  pine  forests,  whence  it  derives  its  name,  is 
abundant  in  the  northern  portions  of  British  America,  and 
is  not  uncommon  among  the  wooded  ravines  of  the  north- 
ern United  States.  It  builds  its  habitation  chiefly  on  tlie 
tops  of  the  fir,  or  seizes  on  the  already  formed  nest  of  the 
squirrel,  or  some  bird,  whence  it  drives  the  owner,  and 
enlarges  for  its  own  convenience.  It  is  of  rather  less  size 
than  the  common  Marten,  but  its  fur  is  finer  and  darker, 
and  the  throat  and  breast  yellow,  instead  of  white.  In 
summer  it  assumes  a  lighter  tinge,  and  its  hair  be- 
comes shorter :  in  winter  its  toes  are  well  j^rotected  by 
long  wool,  which  drops  off  as  the  weather  gets  warm.  Its 
habits  are  similar  to  the  common  Marten,  but  it  is  more 
fierce ;  it  never  meets  the  wild-cat  without  a  deadly  en- 
counter, and  is  sometimes  victorious  even  over  the 
eagle,  when  that  bird  pounces  on  its  prey,  seizing  the 
aggressor  by  the  throat,  and  bringing  it  lifeless  to  the 
ground.  Formerly,  the  fur  of  this  species  formed  a  lucra- 
tive article  of  export  from  the  United  States.  At  pres- 
ent immense  quantities  are  brought  from  Siberia,  and  in 
38 


HOW    TO    CATCH    THE   MAllTEX.  39 

one  year  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  alone  sold  fifteen 
thousand  skins. 

The  Sable  inhabits  tlie  same  countries  in  the  ^orth, 
and  has  sometimes  been  confounded  with  the  former, 
which  it  strongly  resembles  in  structure  and  habits ; 
but  Professor  Polios,  wbo  examined  it  and  its  native  soil, 
has  assigned  it  its  place  as  a  distinct  species.  It  is  some- 
what larger  iu  size  than  the  Pine  Marten;  its  head  is 
rather  more  slightly  depressed,  and  its  muzzle  more  elon- 
gated, the  soles  of  the  feet  more  villous,  and  finally,  the 
fur  on  its  body  is  more  beautiful,  soft,  long,  black,  and 
shining,  and  the  hair  turns  with  ease  either  way.  The  skin 
is  consequently  more  valuable,  and  one  of  them  not  ex- 
ceeding four  inches  broad  has  sometimes  been  valued  as 
high  as  seventy-five  dollars.  The  tails  are  sold  by  the 
hundred  at  from  twenty  to  forty  dollars.  The  exiles  in 
Siberia  are  required  to  furnish  a  certain  number  of  skins 
annually,  from  which  the  Russian  government  is  said  to 
derive  a  considerable  revenue.  The  smell  of  the  Marten 
tribe  is  rather  agreeable.  They  are  taken  in  traps,  and 
also  hunted  with  the  musket. 

The  Marten  is  easily  caught.  Tlie  common  way  is  to 
set  dead-falls  a  quarter  of  a  mile  a^^art  on  the  banks  of 
streams,  or  through  brook  and  wilderness,  hauling  a  trail 
of  liver,  or  the  body  of  roasted  crow  from  one  to  the  other. 
The  dead-fall  is  so  well  known  that  it  is  not  necessary  to 
describe  it. 

In  using  the  steel  trap,  bait  with  the  bodies  of  crows, 


40  THE    HUNTER    AND   TEAPPER. 

chickens,  partridges,  fresli  fish,  liver  or  entrails.  Stake  the 
bait  in  the  hollow  roots  of  trees,  under  logs,  or  under  the 
edges  of  rocks ;  then  set  your  trap  in  such  a  manner  that 
they  will  have  to  go  over  it  to  get  the  bait ;  fasten  it  with 
chain  and  stake,  and  cover  it  up  with  moss  or  leaves. 
Or  set  your  trap  in  some  convenient  place,  where  you  can 
suspend  the  bait  eighteen  inches  above  it  in  such  a  man- 
ner that  they  cannot  possibly  climb  up  to  it,  for  they  will 
certainly  do  this  when  they  can. 

The  Marten  may  be  caught  in  a  wooden  trap  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner.  In  the  side  of  a  tree,  with  its  bottom 
about  eighteen  inches  from  the  ground,  cut  a  square  hole 
six  inches  wide,  eight  inches  high,  and  five  or  six  inches 
deep.  Cut  a  pole  about  twelve  feet  long,  and  square  off 
one  end  so  that  it  will  play  up  and  down  easily  in  the 
hole,  and  so  that  when  it  is  raised  against  the  top,  there 
will  be  five  inches  space  below  it ;  that  is,  have  the  squared 
end  only  three  inches  thick,  and  a  little  narrower  than  the 
width  of  the  hole.  Let  the  other  end  rest  on  a  forked 
stick,  so  as  to  hold  it  in  a  horizontal  position.  Raise  the 
squared  end  against  the  top  of  the  hole  and  set  it  with  a 
standard  and  spindle  near  the  back  of  the  hole.  Bait  the 
spindle  v/ith  any  of  the  meats  named  above.  The  Marten, 
in  trying  to  get  the  bait,  pulls  out  the  standard,  and  lets 
down  the  pole,  which  catches  him  by  the  head. 

It  may  be  well  to  state  where  the  Marten  is  to  be  found. 
It  is  chiefly  above  the  latitude  of  45°,  in  northern  N'ew 
York,  on  the  so-called  John  Brown  track,  and  in  all  north- 


now    TO    CATCH   THE    MAETEX.  41 

em  Canada,  from  fifty  to  one  luindred  miles  north  of  Lake 
Ontario,  from  its  eastern  end  to  Lake  Huron.  In  that 
country  there  are  immense  cedar  swamps  with  great  pme 
ridges,  and  along  their  borders  the  Marten  may  Lest  be 
hunted,  by  setting  a  line  of  wooden  traps,  ten  miles 
long  or  so,  which  is  as  much  as  can  be  attended  to  in  one 
day. 

The  Marten  may  be  followed  by  his  tracks,  which  are 
about  the  size  of  a  small  cat's.  He  always  travels  on  a 
jump,  making  only  the  mark  of  two  feet  close  together, 
the  pairs  being  about  two  feet  and  a  half  apart.  When 
closely  pursued  he  takes  to  a  tree,  and  is  a  splendid 
climber. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

HOW    TO    CATCH    THE    FISHER. 

The  Fisher,  or  Black  Cat  of  our  hunters,  is  a  small,  yet 
powerful  animal,  standing  nearly  a  foot  from  the  ground. 
It  was  formerly  very  abundant  in  the  Middle  States,  but 
is  now  confined  to  the  thinly  settled  northern  districts.  It 
is  a  nocturnal  species,  and  lives  chiefly  on  the  smaller 
quadrupeds;  but  also  devours  frogs,  fishes,  and  serpents. 
It  climbs  with  great  ease,  and  takes  up  its  abode  in  the 
trunk  of  a  tree.  The  form  of  the  body  is  typical ;  head 
broad,  nose  acute,  ears  about  three  inches  from  the  nose, 
broad,  rounded,  and  distant ;  the  fore  feet  are  shorter  than 
the  hind  ones,  and  the  soles  of  both  are  covered  with 
short  hair;  the  color  is  grayish  over  the  head  and  ante- 
rior parts  of  the  body,  dark  brown  or  black  behind. 

The  name  of  Fisher,  which  has  been  censured  as  not 
applicable  to  the  animal,  is,  however,  that  by  which  he  is 
best  known,  and  which  it  has  received  from  its  character- 
istic habits.  Richardson  states  that  it  feeds  on  the  hoard 
of  frozen  fish  stored  up  by  the  inhabitants.  We  are  in- 
formed by  a  person  who  resided  many  years  near  Lake 
Oneida,  where  the  Fisher  was  then  common,  that  the 
name  was  derived  from  its  singular  fondness  for  the  fish 

used  to  bait  traps.     The  hunters   were  in  the  habit  of 
42 


HOVv'    TO    CATCH   THE    FISHEII.  43 

soaking  their  lisli  over  niglit,  and  it  was  frequently  carried 
off  by  tlie  Fisher,  whose  well-known  tracks  were  seen  in 
the  vicinity.  While  I  have  been  engaged  catching  Mar- 
ten, having  a  line  of  wooden  traps  several  miles  long,  the 
Fisher  wonld  get  upon  the  trail,  and  destroy  all  the  traps 
he  came  to,  taking  the  bait  as  he  went.  It  brings  forth 
two  young  ones  at  a  time,  annually.  The  hunting  season 
for  the  Fisher  in  the  northern  parts  of  Canada  and  the 
Western  States  commences  about  the  tenth  of  October,  and 
hists  till  the  middle  of  May,  when  the  fur  becomes  less 
valuable.  The  ordinary  price  is  a  dollar  and  a  half  per 
skin,  but  for  two  or  three  years  past  they  have  fetched 
ten  dollars,  although  they  are  not  so  fine  nor  so  highly 
valued  as  the  Sable. 

After  finding  my  Marten  traps  torn,  I  had  to  devise 
some  way  to  stop  that,  by  capturing  the  Fisher.  I  found 
that  he  would  never  go  in  at  the  door  of  the  trap,  but 
would  pull  up  the  cover,  and  so  take  the  bait  without  be- 
ing caught.  I  at  once  built  a  string  trap,  with  two  holes, 
one  above  the  other,  making  two  doors  to  enter  the  trap, 
and  so  arranging  that  when  one  sprung,  both  would 
spring ;  so  that  if  he  went  in  at  the  upper  or  lower  door 
he  was  equally  certain  to  be  caught. 

I  found,  however,  that  he  always  went  in  at  the  top. 
The  Fisher  may  also  be  caught  with  a  good  double  spring 
steel  trap,  by  using  the  following  precaution.  First  bend 
down  a  small  sapling,  and  fasten  the  top  under  a  hook, 
previously  driven  in  the  ground  for  the  purpose.     To  the 


44  TUE  nu:?a'Eii  and  TRArPEE. 

end  of  the  sapling  fasten  the  chain  of  the  trap,  set  it,  and 
cover  it  up  neatly  with  leaves  or  other  light  substance, 
hanging  the  bait  about  two  feet  above  tlie  trap,  with  no 
other  possible  means  of  getting  to  it  but  to  reach  up  over 
the  trap.  When  he  is  caught  and  tv/itched  about,  he 
pulls  the  pole  from  under  the  hook,  and  is  jerked  up  into 
the  air,  trap  and  all.  This  will  prevent  his  gnav/ing  olF 
his  leg,  which  he  would  surely  do  if  he  had  the  trap  to 
himself.  About  the  best  bait  that  I  know  of  is  fish,  but 
chicken  or  fresh  meat  of  any  kind  v/ill  do  very  well. 

When  the  Fisher  travels  he  makes  his  tracks  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  Marten,  only  his  feet  are  about  the 
size  of  a  fox's,  and  his  jumps  are  about  three  feet  long, 
unless  he  is  hurried,  when  they  are  four  or  five  feet  long. 
When  you  see  these  tracks  in  the  fresh  fallen  snow,  make 
up  your  mind  to  catch  the  animal.  It  will  take  you  all 
day  perhaps,  but  then  you  will  have  the  booty. 

Although  he  is  a  nocturnal  animal,  yet  when  routed  in 
the  day-time  he  travels  at  a  great  rate,  but  if  you  have  a 
good  dog  you  may  soon  overtake  him.  When  hard 
pressed  he  may  take  to  a  tree,  but  will  be  more  likely  to 
run  into  a  hollow  log.  In  the  first  place  you  may  shoot 
him,  but  in  the  second  the  axe  comes  into  play. 

You  may  scent  the  trail  leading  from  one  trap  to 
another  as  you  do  for  the  Marten,  and  the  same  trap  will 
answer  for  both  animals,  and  you  will  sometimes  catch  a 
Coon  or  a  Mink. 


CHAPTER      IX. 

now  TO  CATCH  the  raccoon. 

The  raccoon  is  well  known  in  the  greater  part  of  the 
American  Continent;  and  the  raccoon  hunts  form  the 
burden  of  many  laughable  stories.  This  animal  possesses 
the  mischievousness  of  the  monkey,  united  with  a  blood- 
thirsty and  vindictive  spirit ;  he  slaughters  the  tenants  of 
the  ponltry-yard  with  indiscruninate  ferocity,  and  this  in 
many  cases  leads  to  his  own  destruction,  by  exciting  the 
vengeance  of  the  farmer. 

Being  peculiarly  fond  of  sweet  substances,  the  raccoon 
is  occasionally  very  destructive  to  fields  of  Indian  corn. 
AVhile  the  ear  of  the  corn  is  still  young,  soft  and  tender, 
in  the  milk,  and  is  very  sweet,  it  is  then  eagerly  sought 
by  the  raccoon.  A  family  of  them,  five  or  six  in  number, 
frequently  enter  fields  of  corn,  and  in  one  night  do  con- 
siderable damage,  both  by  the  quantity  of  grain  they  con- 
sume, and  tlie  number  of  stalks  they  break  down. 

The  raccoon  is  an  excellent  climber,  and  his  strong,  sharp 
claws  effectually  secure  him  from  being  shaken  off  the 
branches  of  trees.  In  fact,  so  tenaciously  does  this  ani- 
mal hold  to  any  surface  upon  Avliich  it  can  make  an 
impression  with  its  claws,  that  it  requires  a  consid- 
erable  exertion   of  a   man's  strength   to    drag   him  ofi', 

and  as  long  as  a  single  foot  remains  attached,  he  con- 
45 


46  THE    HUNTER   AND    TRAPPEPw 

tinnes  to  cling  with  great  force.  The  conical  form  of 
the  head,  and  the  very  pointed  and  flexible  character  of 
the  muzzle  or  snout  are  of  great  importance  in  aiding  the 
raccoon  to  examine  every  vacuity  and  crevice  to  which  he 
gains  access ;  nor  does  he  neglect  any  opportunity  of  us- 
ing his  natural  advantages,  hut  explores  every  nook  and 
corner  with  the  most  persevering  diligence  and  attention, 
greedily  feeding  on  spiders,  worms,  or  other  small  insects 
which  are  discovered  by  his  scrutiny.  Where  the  open- 
ing is  too  small  to  give  admittance  to  his  nose,  he  employs 
his  fore  paws  and  shifts  his  position,  or  turns  his  paws 
sidewise,  in  order  to  facilitate  their  introduction  and  effect 
his  purpose.  This  disposition  to  feed  on  the  grubs  or  lar- 
vae of  insects  must  render  this  animal  of  considerable 
utility  in  forest  lands,  in  consequence  of  the  great  num- 
bers of  injurious  and  destructive  insects  he  consumes. 
He  is  also  said  to  catch  frogs  with  considerable  address, 
by  slily  creeping  up,  and  then  S2:)ringing  on  them  with 
both  paws.  The  general  color  of  the  raccoon  is  blackish 
gray,  which  is  pale  on  the  under  part  of  the  body,  and  has, 
over  considerable  part  of  the  neck,  back,  and  sides,  some 
fawn,  or  light  rust-colored  hair  intermingled.  The  tail  is 
covered  with  hair,  and  is  marked  with  five  or  six  black 
rings  around  it  on  a  yellowish  white  ground.  The  entire 
soles  of  his  feet  are  bare.  AYhen  standing,  he  rests  upon 
his  feet  from  heel  to  toe,  flat  like  a  bear,  but  in  walking 
he  goes  upon  his  toes  only,  like  a  cat. 

There  are  many  caught  and  killed  about  cornfields,  but 


'"m^-tf"'  '"  "•    i 


now   TO   CATCH   THE    KACCOOX.  47 

the  fur  is  then  not  veiy  good.  Later  in  the  fall,  and  dur- 
ing the  winter  and  spring,  up  to  the  middle  of  spring,  it 
is  excellent,  and  when  the  pelts  are  well  dressed  they  make 
good  mittens ;  j^uttmg  a  whole  skin  in  each  one  they  reach 
up  to  the  elbows.  In  the  spring  of  the  year,  when  the 
snow  begins  to  go  off  the  ground,  the  raccoon  is  easily 
found.  On  a  warm  night  they  come  out  from  their  hol- 
low trees,  make  a  circuit,  and  return  on  their  back  track. 
By  watching  for  their  return,  you  are  quite  sure  to  find 
them,  one,  two,  three,  or  four,  altogether.  When  you  go 
out  to  hunt  them,  take  an  axe  with  you,  and  fell  some 
hollov/  tree  in  which  they  have  their  nest,  and  see  what 
fun  you  will  have  in  trying  to  outrun  the  little  ring-tails. 
Later  in  the  season,  when  the  ground  is  bare,  and  the 
ice  is  out  of  the  creeks  and  ponds,  they  travel  along  the 
muddy  shores  in  search  of  frogs,  of  which  they  are  very 
fond.  Take  a  good  smart  trap  and  set  it  on  the  edge  of 
the  water.  Fasten  it  well,  and  bait  it  with  fi:-;h  or  fowl  of 
any  kind,  placing  the  bait  above  the  trap  as  for  a  mink, 
or  behind  the  trap,  in  such  a  way  that  the  coon  can  only 
get  at  it  by  going  over  the  trap.  Scent  the  bait  with  oil 
of  anise.  You  may  also  catch  him  with  a  pole  trap,  bait- 
ed with  frogs,  fish,  or  a  bit  of  partridge.  "When  you  find 
coon  tracks  in  the  mud,  you  may  set  your  trap  with  a  lit- 
tle oil  of  anise  rubbed  on  the  under  side  of  the  pan,  cov- 
ering it  up  with  leaves  or  moss.  The  first  one  that  comes 
along  will  stick  his  fore  paws  into  the  trap,  feeling  for  the 
bait. 


CHAPTER    X. 

HOW    TO    HUNT    AND    TRz\P    THE    BEAE. 

The  American  black  "bear  is  of  two  kinds.  One  is 
short-legged  and  has  a  heavy  body,  sometimes  weighing 
five  hundred  pounds,  and  is  black  all  over.  The  other  is 
longer  legged,  not  generally  so  heavy,  and  has  a  brown 
face.  This  one  is  a  great  racer.  Wherever  there  is  much 
woods  or  forest,  there  bears  abound.  They  are  not  put 
together  like  the  dog  or  hog,  or  any  other  animal.  Their 
fore  legs  bend  like  a  man's  arms,  and  they  use  them  in  the 
same  way. 

They  are  great  hog  eaters.  Their  mode  of  catching 
the  hog  is  to  take  him  up  in  their  arms  and  squeeze  him 
some,  commencing  at  the  same  time  to  take  their  dinner 
out  of  the  shoulder  and  neck  at  the  back  of  the  hog, 
while  alive,  and  squealing  as  only  a  hog  can  squeal. 

Bruin  will  carry  a  hog  as  heavy  as  himself,  holding  him 

in  his  arms  clear  of  the  ground,  crossing  a  stream  on  a 

log  as  steadily  as  a  man  could  do  it.     He  is  not  troubled 

with  a  tail  when  in  an  upright  position,  for  he  has  no  tail 

to  speak  of.     His  ears  are  small,  his  mouth  large,  his  teeth 

strong,  his  fore  paws  like  a  man's  hand,  Iiis  hind  feet  and 

legs  much  like  a  man's  feet  and  legs.     I  liave  skinned  a 

fat  bear  and  stretched  him  out,  lying  on  his  face,  his 
48 


nOAV   TO    HU>7T    AND    TKAP   THE    EEAK.  49 

white  fat  making  liim  look  very  mucli  like  a  man.  Xo 
animal  kind  I  ever  saw  bears  so  near  a  rosemljlance. 

AThen  he  travels  along  he  makes  tracks  with  only  the 
fore  part  of  his  feet,  but  when  he  sits  or  stands,  a  full- 
sized  track  with  his  hind  feet  may  be  seen,  or  when  he  is 
walking  upright. 

He  is  a  great  natural  boxer,  and  it  is  not  easy  to  hit 
him  W'ith  a  club  or  any  such  weapon,  for  lie  defends  him- 
self like  a  well-trained  pugilist,  wliile  a  slap  from  his  ugly 
paw  tells  on  man  or  beast. 

He  is  a  great  hand  to  fight  dogs,  sets  himself  up  on  end 
and  cuifs  them  right  and  left,  one  clip  being  enough  to 
make  a  cripple. 

The  bear  is  A'ery  fond  of  sweets,  and  will  go  any  length 
to  rob  bees  of  their  honey.  It  is  one  of  their  curious 
tricks  to  climb  a  tree  where  bees  have  stored  their  honey, 
and  gnaw  them  out.  Their  constant  growling  about  the 
bees'  stings  often  shows  their  whereabouts  to  tlio  hunter. 
They  also  rob  a  bee-house  vrhen  they  have  a  chance,  and 
they  are  often  betrayed  at  the  hog-pen  by  the  squealing 
of  the  hon^s.  Xothiu^  suits  them  better  than  to  find  a 
hog  in  a  pen,  and  no  one  to  oppose  them.  They  will 
cliinb  in  and  out  again,  hog  and  all.  They  are  very  fond 
of  corn  in  the  roasting-ear  state,  and  it  is  not  slow  the 
way  they  will  sit  up  to  a  hill  of  corn  and  take  the  ears. 
I  have  seen  them  in  a  field  of  wheat  or  oats  standing  on 
their  hind  feet,  and  with  their  fore  paws  gathering  the 
grain  to  their  mouths  with  great  handiness.     They  are 


50  THE  hu:n'ter  and  teappee. 

very  fouJ  of  acorns,  "beccli  nuts,  hucldeberrios,  and  all 
kinds  of  sweet  berries,  and  they  will  go  some  distance  to 
get  apples.  In  fact,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  set  a  bear  trap 
under  a  sweet  apple  tree.  They  are  quite  as  hard  to  get 
a  shot  at  as  a  deer,  being  wild  and  watchful. 

The  bear  is  very  fond  of  water  and  loves  to  swim,  and 
you  can  overtake  him  with  a  boat ;  but  mind  to  shoot 
him  before  you  go  too  near,  for  if  you  fail  to  kill  him  he 
is  bound  to  get  aboard  if  the  boat  stays  right  side  up,  and 
if  your  gun  is  not  loaded  he  will  stand  as  good  a  chance 
as  you  to  get  ashore  alive. 

It  is  a  rare  thing  for  a  bear  to  attack  a  man,  but  you 
must  not  assault  the  female  when  she  has  cubs,  or  you 
will  pay  for  it.  Old  Mr.  Pomeroy,  hunting  his  cows  one 
morning,  saw  a  she-bear  standing  in  his  road.  Says  he, 
"  Old  girl,  I'll  give  you  a  scare ;"  so  he  pulled  his  old  frock 
over  his  head  and  made  at  her  with  a  great  "  boo."  But 
old  Mrs.  Bruin  never  flinched,  but  dove  right  at  him,  and 
he  turned  and  put  for  home  as  hard  as  he  could  go,  with 
one  sole  of  his  shoe  partly  loose,  flapping  as  he  went,  and 
the  old  bear  right  at  his  heels,  warming  his  butt  at  every 
jump,  almost  to  his  house  door.  The  old  man  said  she 
never  could  have  made  any  impression  on  his  stern,  for  it 
was. dried  up  as  hard  as  a  butternut. 

The  bear  is  a  hibernating  animal,  and  goes  into  win- 
ter quarters  as  soon  as  cold  weather  sets  in.  Some 
times  they  stay  out  until  the  snow  is  quite  deep  on  the 
ground.     But  they  generally  make  for  their  dens  before 


now   TO    IIUXT    AXD   TRAP   THE    BEAR.  51 

this ;  sometimes  they  take  up  their  quarters  in  a  hollow 
tree,  climbing  up  and  letting  themselves  down  inside,  and 
s'ometimes  they  have  a  hole  scooped  out  of  the  earth,  and 
have  a  great  lot  of  stuiF  gathered  to  stop  the  mouth  of 
the  hole,  drawing  it  after  them  as  they  go  in.  If  mast 
and  nuts  arc  plenty  in  the  fall,  they  will  go  in  fat  and  will 
not  get  any  poorer.  They  lie  and  suck  their  paws  all 
^^-inter. 

It  is  here  that  they  bring  forth  their  cubs,  from  two  to 
three  hi  number.  AYhen  they  first  come  out  in  the  early 
spring,  the  cubs  are  about  the  size  of  large  kittens.  They 
make  a  crying  noise,  very  much  like  a  little  baby.  The 
mother  will  defend  them  to  the  last,  and  it  is  very  danger- 
ous to  offend  her  if  not  well  prepared.  If  the  bear  is 
taken  when  young,  it  is  easily  domesticated  and  taught 
many  tricks. 

After  the  snow  has  fallen,  if  you  come  across  a  bear's 
track,  follow  it  up,  and  sooner  or  later  you  v/ill  trace  him 
to  his  den.  If  this  is  a  cave  in  the  earth,  you  can  block 
it  up  with  logs  of  wood  until  you  are  prepared  to  kill  him. 

One  mode  of  trapping  tlic  bear  is  as  follows :  Go  to 
that  part  of  the  wood  that  is  frequented  by  bears  and 
cut  some  logs  about  six  feet  long.  Lay  three  of  them 
down  parallel,  occupying  a  space  of  about  six  feet  wide 
from  outside  to  outside.  Then  lay  other  logs  across  these 
close  together,  as  you  would  lay  a  corduroy-road,  and  pin 
them  down  to  the  sleepers  thorouglily.  Then  lay  up  four 
sides,  cob-house  fashion,  two  feet  high,  thoroughly  })inned 


52  THE   HUXTER   AND   TEAPPEE. 

together,  Avitli  a  door  cut  in  one  side,  two  and  a  half  feet 
wide.  Tiiis  is  the  bottom  half  of  the  trap.  Now  build  a 
similar  box,  that,  when  turned  upside  down,  will  slide  into 
the  bottom  one,  so  that  the  space  will  not  be  above  eight 
or  ten  inches  when  they  are  dropped  together.  Now  cut 
a  log  of  wood,  say  twelve  inches  through  and  twenty  feet 
long,  and  pin  the  top  box  directly  across  the  end  of  this. 
Support  the  beam  across  a  log  in  such  a  way  that  the  box 
can  be  moved  up  and  down,  so  as  to  open  or  rise  out  of  the 
bottom  and  make  a  space  of  three  feet.  Set  this  with  a  stand- 
ard and  spindle  baited  with  a  chunk  of  some  kind  of  fresh 
meat,  daubed  with  honey,  honey  and  oil  of  anise  being 
at  the  same  time  well  smeared  over  the  inside  of  the  trap. 
The  heft  of  the  top  house  and  beam,  when  sprung,  should 
be  enough  to  crush  any  bear  that  might  chance  that  way. 
Another  good  way  to  catch  a  bear  when  he  has  been  com- 
mitting depredations  on  a  hog  or  other  farm  animals  is  to 
set  a  big  steel  trap  in  a  spring  hole  or  swampy  place,  put- 
ting a  natural  looking  bit  of  moss  on  the  pan  for  him  to 
step  on,  and  hanging  a  bait  of  the  dead  animal  where  he 
can  only  get  it  by  going  over  the  trap. 

Where  bears  come  into  cornfields,  they  often  set  spring 
guns  to  slioot  Mr.  Bruin;  but  that  is  a  dangerous  way  of 
doing  it.  I  have  known  men  to  be  killed  instead  of  the 
bear.  It  is  a  good  way  to  hunt  the  bear  vritli  a  dog  that 
understands  him,  and  will  only  nip  him  in  the  hams.  This 
will  soon  cause  him  to  tree,  and  he  is  a  pretty  goocl 
climber  for  so  large  an  animal.     He  climbs  almost  exactly 


HOW  TO  HU^T  AXD  TEAP  THE  BEAE.         53 

as  a  man  does,  but  if  you  are  careless  about  going  uj)  to 
the  tree  to  shoot  hhn,  he  will  come  down  not  exactly  like 
a  man.  He  puts  his  arms  around  the  tree,  and  lets  go  and 
comes  down  with  a  big  scrape  or  slip,  striking  the  ground 
with  his  butt  sufficient  to  make  him  bound  three  feet 
high.  But  he  is  ready  for  oft',  and  you  have  lost  your 
shot.     So  be  careful  and  go  up  slily  and  shoot  him  out. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

HOW    TO    HUNT    AND    TRAP    THE    WOLF. 

There  are  several  yarieties  of  wolves  in  tlie  United 
States.  The  prairie  wolf,  of  two  or  three  different  kinds, 
is  but  small,  and  is  easily  trapped  or  shot.  He  is  not  so 
destructive  among  sheep  as  the  large  gray  wolf  of  the 
timbered  country,  and  it  is  about  these  that  I  shall  have 
the  most  to  say.  They  are  confined  to  no  particular  loca- 
tion, but  travel  about  from  one  place  to  another.  Still 
they  have  their  particular  routes,  as  from  one  swamp  to 
another,  and  where  their  course  brings  them  near  a  settle- 
ment, they  sally  forth  at  night  to  steal  a  sheep,  if  these  are 
kept  out  and  are  not  penned.  Killing  sheep  is  a  business 
they  understand,  and  they  will  cut  the  throat  of  one  about 
as  slick  as  a  knife  can  do  it.  They  are  greedy  creatures, 
and  always  w^ant  to  kill  the  whole  flock.  I  have  known 
as  many  as  thirty  to  be  killed  in  a  single  night  by  one 
wolf, — nothing  done  but  to  cut  their  throats.  When  the 
she-wolf  can  find  an  old  bear's  den,  she  will  take  posses- 
sion of  it  to  have  her  puppies,  usually  about  the  last  of 
April  or  the  first  of  May.  These  follow  her  all  the  sum- 
mer and  fall,  when  they  start  off  on  their  own  hook  to  see 
54 


HOW    TO    HUXT    AXD    TRAP   THE    T70LF.  55 

what  they  can  catch  to  cat.  When  deer  are  plenty,  it 
seems  as  though  they  conld  catch  one  whenever  they 
please.  I  have  often  seen  how  they  operated,  one  or  more 
running  directly  on  the  track,  and  one  on  each  side.  Af- 
ter a  short  run,  they  would  close  in,  and  the  venison  vras 
sure  to  be  taken.  There  seemed  to  be  no  possibility  of 
escape.  In  fact,  they  are  great  hunters ;  some  will  hide 
in  a  run-way,  while  the  others  drive  the  deer  along.  I 
have  often  heard  the  gang,  belonging  to  an  old  slut  with 
an  old  dog  in  company,  set  up  their  how-de-low,  from  the 
blow  of  a  conch  shell  to  the  barking  of  a  puppy  dog, 
screech  and  scream,  all  at  once, — utter  confusion. 

It  is  no  sign  whatever  that  they  have  caught  anything 
because  they  make  such  a  noise,  although  when  one  wolf 
catches  game  or  finds  a  deer  or  any  such  thing,  he  goes 
off  a  short  distance  and  sets  up  a  howl  that  makes  the 
welkin  ring ;  and  when  joined  by  his  comrades,  they  go 
together  and  feast  on  their  booty.  While  the  wolf  is 
calling  the  others  together,  should  you  remove  the  bait  or 
body,  when  the  pack  return  with  the  one  that  caught  it, 
and  they  find  nothing  there,  the  unfortunate  beast  pays 
with  his  life  the  penalty  of  his  false  alarm.  Wolves  often 
catch  deer  on  ice,  and  Avhile  they  have  gone  to  call  the 
pack,  men  have  often  removed  the  body,  and  then  from  a 
safe  distance  watched  the  tragedy  I  have  spoken  of. 

To  my  mind  the  wolf  is  the  shyest  creature  I  ever  tried 
to  get  a  shot  at,  and  to  catch  one  in  a  trap  you  must  use 
the  same  caution  that  I  recommended  in  traj)piDg  for  fox- 


56  THE    nUiSTTER    AISTD    TRAPPER. 

es.     Never  touch  the  trap  with  your  bare  hands,  unless 
you  are  going  to  set  it  under  water. 

The  best  way  to  trap  wolves  is  to  take  the  carcass  of  a 
dead  horse  or  other  animal  and  draw  it  to  a  spring-hole, 
and  then  set  your  trap  exactly  as  recommended  for  bears. 
Wolves  may  be  poisoned  by  the  wholesale.  Where 
there  are  wolves  in  the  country,  they  have,  as  I  said  be- 
fore, regular  routes  over  which  they  travel  several  times 
during  the  winter.  By  close  observation  you  can  learn 
about  when  they  will  be  along, — within  a  week  or  so,  at 
any  rate.  N'ow  hunt  up  an  old  horse  that  is  about  to 
die,  lead  him  to  the  spot  that  you  liave  selected,  kill  him, 
and  skin  him.  Take  pieces  of  lard  about  the  size  of  a 
hazel  nut,  and  slices  of  tough  flesh  from  the  horse  large 
enough  to  thoroughly  enclose  the  lard.  Spread  the  lard 
a  little  on  one  side  of  the  flesh,  and  sprinkle  upon  it  as 
much  strychnine  as  can  be  taken  up  on  the  point  of  a 
knife  blade.  Mix  this  with  the  lard;  then  roll  up  the 
meat  neatly  and  tie  it  slightly,  so  that  the  strychnine  can- 
not be  exposed  on  the  surface,  and  lay  it  down  on  the  car- 
cass of  the  horse.  Put  about  a  dozen  of  these  baits  ex- 
actly where  you  can  find  them  at  any  time.  When  you 
come  again  to  examine  the  place,  as  many  pieces  as  are 
gone,  just  so  many  dead  wolves  you  may  expect  to  find 
within  two  or  three  rods  of  the  spot.  I  have  known  a 
whole  gang  to  be  killed  in  this  way  in  one  night. 

Foxes  may  be  killed  in  a  similar  manner,  only  very  much 
less  strychnine  is  necessary.     When  the  wolf,  the  fox,  or 


HOW   TO    HUNT   AXD   TEAP   THE   "WOLF.  57 

any  other  animal  is  killed  with  strychnine,  the  carcass 
sliould  be  burned  at  once,  lest  fowls  or  other  domestic 
animals  get  poisoned  by  it,  and  the  hide  should  be  imme- 
diately tarred  with  alum  and  salt,  as  described  in  the  chapter 
on  dressing  skins.  If  this  is  delayed,  the  hair  and  fur  will 
come  out  and  spoil  the  looks  of  the  skin.  If  wolves  kill 
a  sheep  or  calf,  or  any  other  creature,  for  you  or  your 
neighbors,  take  the  body  to  some  place  out  of  the  reach 
of  domestic  animals  and  put  poison  about  it  as  above  di- 
rected, and  you  v\'ill  be  sure  to  make  them  keel  over. 

You  can  so  scent  your  boot  soles  with  a  mixture  made 
of  the  oil  of  rhodium,  oil  of  fenugreek,  oil  of  cummin,  and 
flour  of  sweet  fennel,  as  to  make  the  wolf  follow  your 
track  or  trail.  By  going  far  into  the  w^ilderness  and  trav- 
eling among  the  swamps,  you  can  fetch  the  wolves  into 
your  neighborhood,  but  they  are  not  pleasant  neighbors 
to  have. 
3* 


CHAPTER    XII. 

HOW    TO    TllAP    THE    POCKET    GOPHER. 

The  pocket  gopher  is  a  destructive  little  animal.  He 
digs  roads  under  the  surface  of  the  ground,  leading  in 
different  directions,  wherever  he  is  likely  to  find  food. 
He  will  not  permit  this  pathway  to  be  open  to  the  light, 
except  while  it  is  necessary  in  throv^^ing  out  his  dirt.  His 
manner  of  doing  this  is  very  curious.  He  is  provided 
with  two  pockets,  one  on  each  side  of  his  head,  which  he 
fills  with  dirt,  and  then  comes  to  the  surface,  and  with  a 
dexterous  movement  discharges  his  load,  scattering  it  for  a 
distance  of  ten  or  twelve  inches.  When  this  dirt  begins  to 
foiTQ  a  heap  around  his  hole,  he  roots  it  away  with  his 
nose  after  each  discharge ;  and  when  it  is  too  far  from  the 
place  where  he  is  burrowing  to  fetch  the  dirt  out  at  this 
hole,  he  closes  it  up  tight,  and  at  a  distance  of  ten  feet 
or  so,  proceeds  to  make  another,  and  so  on  through  the 
field,  eating  off  the  roots  as  he  goes.  He  appears  to  know 
where  to  steer,  and  he  can  burrow  straight  for  a  turnip 
patch  or  a  stack  of  corn  or  wheat. 

After  many  experiments,  I  learned  to  trap  him.     I  set 

my  trap  in  the  mouth  of  the  hole,  and  he  would  bring  dirt 

and  cover  it  up  while  stopping  the  hole,  which  he  never 
58 


HOW  TO  TRAP  THE  POCKET  GOPHER.         59 

leaves  open.  I  then  dug  in  with  my  hand,  and  placed  it 
beyond  where  he  began  to  drop  the  dnt,  and  so  caught 
him.     This  succeeded  every  time. 

And  now  I  will  tell  you  how  to  hunt  him.  Any  where, 
where  you  see  his  work,  that  is,  little  hills  of  fresh  dirt 
thrown  up,  you  may  go  with  a  little  stick,  or  whip  stock, 
and  push  it  down  around  the  hillock  until  you  strike  his 
road.  Right  here,  I  want  you  to  understand  that  you 
can't  dig  into  one  of  these  hillocks  and  find  the  hole.  He 
so  effectually  closes  it  up  that  I  never  saw  one  opened 
where  it  was  first  made.  When  you  have  struck  the 
track,  dig  down  until  you  come  to  it,  which  is  sometimes 
as  low  as  eight  or  ten  inches.  Then,  with  your  hand,  dig 
it  out  large  enough  to  slide  in  your  trap,  reaching  your 
arm  in  to  the  elbow.  The  best  trap  to  use  is  the  little 
one  spring  kind,  of  the  Xewhouse  make.  Having  j^ushed 
the  trap  in,  go  away,  without  further  fixing,  and  perhaps 
in  an  hour,  perhaps  in  three  or  four  days,  you  will  catch 
the  lad. 

"When  you  cut  the  hole,  he  may  be  at  one  side  of  it  or 
at  the  other.  K  he  is  in  the  opposite  end  from  where  you 
have  set  the  trap,  he  may  fill  up  the  hole,  and  in  that  case 
you  must  change  the  position  of  the  trap. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

FISHING    FOR    TROUT,    PICKEREL,    AND    BASS. 

The  trout,  I  mean  tlie  live  trout,  is  the  prettiest  fish  to 
look  at  that  swims,  and  he  is  full  as  good  to  eat  as  he  is 
to  look  at,  that  is,  if  he  is  properly  cooked. 

Most  folks  know  something  about  fishing,  yet  there  are 
few  who  fish  with  much  success.  Some  men  take  a  rod 
and  line,  and  if  there  are  any  fish  in  the  brook  Avill  surely 
have  their  share  of  them,  and  I  propose  to  show  you  how 
the  thing  is  done,  so  that  if  the  fish  are  there  you  must 
catch  them. 

In  the  first  i^lace,  a  man  or  a  boy  must  have  at  least  a 

moderate  share  of  common  sense,  in  order  to  be  successful 

in  fishiug  for  trout.     Then  he  must  have  a  good  hair  line 

of  gray  horse  hair  that  is  not  easily  seen  in  the  water,  or  a 

fine  hair  or  gut  line.     I  have  seen  some  good  lines  made 

of  sea  grass.     But  nothing  is  so  good  as  the  hair  line,  as 

it  will  not  twist  around  the  brush,  never  kinks,  and  rarely 

gets  tangled.     You  also  want  a  good  Limerick  hook,  not 

too  small,  what  is  commonly  called  a  bass  hook.     A  little 

hook  will  catch  little  trout,  but  is  not  strong  enough  or 

large  enough  to  catch  big  trout.     A  big  hook  will  catch 

big  trout,  and  occasionally  little  ones,  too.     For  bait,  you 

want  a  piece  of  hog's  liver.     I  suppose  a  piece  of  beef's 
60 


nsniXG   FOK   TKOUT,   PICKEEEL,    AND    BASS.  CI 

liver  would  do,  but  they  say  it  is  not  so  good.  Cut  it  np 
the  size  of  a  bean,  leaving  a  portion  of  the  outside  on  each 
piece,  to  make  it  tough.  Angle-worms  are  said  by  some 
to  be  the  best  bait,  and  they  can  be  improved  in  this  Tvay : 
Put  them  in  a  box  large  enough  to  hold  a  little  earth  with 
them;  on  this  pour  a  small  quantity  of  sweet  cream,  and 
in  a  few  hours  they  will  have  eaten  enough  to  appear 
white,  or  kind  of  striped.  Xow  take  smallage  (celery) 
jam  it  up,  and  put  it  among  the  worms  and  dirt,  and  start 
for  your  fishing.  When  you  can  get  no  better  bait,  any 
fresh  meat  will  do,  and  any  bait  is  improved  by  being 
mixed  vrith  tincture  of  assafoetida,  which  has  the  effect  of 
causing  the  trout  to  bite  when  he  otherwise  would  not. 
Some  use  sweet  sicily,  and  some  the  oil  of  anise.  The 
sicily  root  is  chewed,  and  spit  upon  the  bait ;  the  oil  of 
anise  is  put  in  the  box  with  the  bait.  Eemember  this,  a 
frightened  trout  will  not  bite  for  you,  nor  for  anybody 
else,  and  you  must  go  to  the  creek  very  slyly,  or  they  will 
see  you  and  run  away.  Most  of  the  trout  do  run  away, 
and  so  we  catch  but  the  smaller  part  of  them.  It  makes 
no  odds  how  good  the  bait  is,  they  won't  bite  if  they  are 
frightened ;  so,  you  see,  in  order  to  have  much  success, 
you  must  use  some  strategem — that  is,  crawl  up  to  the 
edge  of  the  stream  and  tbrovr  the  line  over  skilfully,  and, 
if  they  have  not  seen  you,  they  will  snap  as  quick  as  a 
gun  lock.  Perhaps  two  or  three,  or  a  dozen,  will  try  to 
catch  it  first ;  certainly  it  is  the  finest  sport  ever  indulged 
in.     Take  the  fish  off  your  hook,  and  don't  flourish  with 


62  THE    HUNTER   AND    TEAPPER. 

your  rod  ineanwliile.  If  they  are  likely  to  see  you^ 
you  had  better  squat  down  while  you  are  baiting  your 
hook.  You  should  have  a  basket  with  you  to  slip  the 
trout  in  as  you  catch  them,  occasionally  putting  in  some 
leaves  to  prevent  their  getting  jammed.  Putting  them  in 
a  bag  spoils  them,  by  their  continually  rubbing  together ; 
but  a  basket  and  leaves  kee-p  them  looking  as  beautiful 
as  themselves.  I  saw  the  handsomest  picture  of  a  trout 
in  the  American  Agriculturist,  that  I  ever  saw. 

In  fishing  for  trout,  you  must  keep  your  bait  continually 
moving,  with  a  sort  of  twitching  motion,  or  floating  down 
with  the  swift  current.  Mind  you,  they  lie  and  watch 
just  at  the  foot  of  the  little  rapids  in  the  creek,  to  catch 
any  live  worm  or  hopper  that  will  help  to  fill  a  hungry 
belly.  If  you  have  no  bait,  a  piece  of  woolen  rag  may 
catch  one,  and  then  you  can  cut  a  bit  of  what  is  called  the 
throat-latch,  or  of  the  narrow  part  next  to  the  tail,  and 
upon  this  put  a  little  assafoetida,  and  they  will  bite 
it  well. 

The  best  time  to  catch  the  trout,  that  is,  the  time  when 
they  are  in  the  best  condition  to  eat,  is  about  the  middle 
of  April.  From  this  to  the  middle  of  May  or  first  of 
June  they  are  good,  but  not  so  good  as  earlier  in  the  sea- 
son. In  the  fall  they  move  to  their  spawning  ground,  and 
perform  their  important  duty  before  the  fall  of  the  leaf. 
While  they  are  on  their  beds,  they  clo  not  seem  to  be  so 
easily  frightened,  and  you  may  often  see  hundreds  lying 
close  to2;ether. 


FISHIXG    FOR   TEOUT,    PICKEREL,    ^^JN'D    BASS.  03 

With  a  little  care  you  may  catch  nearly  all  of  them,  al- 
though some  of  them,  and  the  largest  ones  at  that,  Avill 
not  bite.  In  such  a  case,  Lave  three  hooks  fixed  like  a 
grapple,  and  with  your  line  swing  it  under  their  heads,  so 
that  a  light  twitch  will  fetch  the  hooks  into  their  belly. 
Some  catch  them  with  a  slip-noose  made  of  annealed  wire, 
or  brass  wire,  and  fastened  to  the  end  of  a  rod,  so  that 
it  may  be  slipped  over  their  heads. 

Trout  may  be  caught  at  any  season  of  the  year,  if  you 
can  only  find  where  they  are.  In  winter  they  move  into 
deep  holes  of  water,  and  by  cutting  a  hole  in  the  ice  over 
one  of  these  deep  holes,  and  baiting  with  liver,  you  may 
catch  them,  even  when  it  is  so  cold  as  to  freeze  them  stiff 
in  a  few  moments. 

Pickerel  fishing  is  quite  different  from  trout  fishing. 
There  are  several  distinct  kinds  of  fish  called  the  Pickerel, 
different  sorts  having  the  same  name  in  different  coun- 
tries. In  Canada,  for  instance,  the  Pickerel  is  a  short, 
chunked,  weasel-eyed,  yellow  fish;  in  this  country  it  is 
a  long,  slim,  spotted,  flat-headed  fish,  and  a  regular  fish 
eater,  closely  allied  to  the  muscalonge ;  in  fiict,  some  per- 
sons cannot  distinguish  between  them.  They  are  fished 
for  in  the  same  way,  and  their  habits,  so  far  as  I  know, 
are  exactly  alike.  As  soon  as  the  ice  goes  off,  in  the 
spring,  the  Pickerel  and  muscalonge  go  to  their  spawning 
places  near  the  banks  of  the  streams,  among  bogs,  and 
where  the  bottom  is  muddy. 

They  frequently  get  into  the  drowned  lauds  where  the 


64  THE   HUXTER   AXD   TEAPPEE. 

high  water  of  sj^ring  has  flowed,  and  you  may  see  them 
lying,  two  and  two,  sometimes  with  their  back  fins  out  of 
water,  and  many  are  caught  by  shooting  and  spearing. 
The  best  way  is  to  go  on  to  these  spawning  places  in  the 
night  in  a  boat,  with  a  good,  bright  light,  and  to  pick 
them  up  with  a  spear,  which  is  fine  sport  indeed.  Farther 
along  in  the  season,  you  may  catch  them  with  a  hook  and 
line.  A  small  frog  or  a  small  fish  makes  a  good  bait,  but 
you  can  do  just  as  well,  and  it  is  more  convenient,  to 
have  a  spoon  hook,  such  as  you  can  buy  at  any  store 
where  they  sell  fishing  tackle.  Your  line  should  be  about 
sixty  feet  long. 

When  you  have  everything  prepared,  ipui  out  in  your 
boat,  throw  out  your  hook  and  trolling  line,  and  go  ahead 
just  fast  enough  to  keej)  the  bait  dancing  or  skipping 
along  the  surface  of  the  water.  Keep  near  to  the  shore, 
on  the  shoals,  especially  if  the  river  or  lake  is  skirted  with 
bulrushes.  If  there  are  any  pickerel  or  muscalonge  about, 
you  will  soon  have  business,  especially  if  your  bait  is 
taken  by  a  fellow  weighing  twenty  pounds  or  so. 

The  best  time  in  the  day  for  this  sort  of  fishing  is  from 
seven  to  eleven  in  the  morning,  and  from  two  to  five  in 
the  afternoon. 

It  is  about  useless  to  go  a-fishing  for  Pickerel  in  mid- 
summer, as  they  bite  slowly  then,  and  are,  withal,  poor 
and  soft,  and  unfit  for  food.  But  during  the  winter  they 
are  excellent,  and  are  easily  caught  in  the  following  man- 
ner: 


FI6HIXG    FOR   TROUT,    TICKEREL,    AXD    BASS.  G5 

Make  a  box  six  feet  square  and  six  feet  deep,  and  turn 
it  upside  down  on  tlie  ice  over  a  bole  about  twenty  inches 
across.  Have  a  door  in  the  side  of  the  box  through 
which  you  can  go  in  and  out.  You  may  also  have  a  bench 
and  a  stove  inside,  to  keep  yourself  snng  and  warm. 
When  you  are  in,  close  the  door  so  that  it  will  be  quite 
dark ;  then  you  can  see  for  some  distance  in  the  water, 
but  it  is  best  to  be  where  it  is  only  about  two  feet  deep. 
Bait  your  line  vvdth  a  little  wooden  fish,  weighted  with 
lead,  and  with  tin  fins.  Keep  this  playing  about  in  the 
water,  and  the  pickerel,  which  are  always  on  the  lookout 
for  prey,  will  come  after  it,  aud  you  can  coax  them  up 
near  to  the  surface  and  then  strike  them  with  a  short 
bearded  spear. 

Another  way  to  fish  through  ice  is  to  set  a  lot  of  Imes 
about  thirty  feet  long  with  a  cork  float  to  keep  the  hook 
off  the  bottom,  baiting  it  with  a  small  live  fish.  The  rest 
of  the  line  may  lie  coiled  up  near  tlie  hole  so  that  it  will 
pay  out  easily,  and  the  other  end  of  it  may  be  fastened  to 
a  little  bush  stuck  up  in  the  ice.  When  the  pickerel  takes 
the  bait,  he  runs  away  w^ith  it  as  he  swallows  it,  and  the 
Ions:  line  is  needed  to  f>ive  him  a  chance  to  do  this.  The 
shaking  of  the  bush  will  show  w^hen  you  have  a  bite,  and 
you  can  attend  to  twenty  lines  at  once,  and  have  more 
sport. 

Fishing  for  bass  is  quite  another  business.  To  my 
mind,  they  are  a  much  better  fish  than  the  pickerel. 
There  are  several  kinds  of  bass, — the  black,  the  striped, 


66  THE    HFNTEU   AND    TEAPPER. 

and  the  yellow ;  the  last  two  lands  are  the  best,  and  in 
April  and  May  they  are  very  fat,  and  next  to  the  trout  for 
eating. 

You  can  raalie  some  headway  in  spearing  them  in  early 
spring,  but  the  better  way  is  to  catch  them  with  a  troll- 
ing line,  with  a  spoon  hook  or  spinner.  From  the  middle 
of  June  to  the  middle  of  July,  they  are  spawning^  and  do 
not  like  to  bite.  In  the  fall  and  winter  I  have  never  suc- 
ceeded in  catching  many.  Quite  early  in  May  a  fishing 
rod  with  a  strong  line  and  hook,  baited  with  a  small  frog, 
"w^ill  answer  very  well.  I  have  also  known  them  to  be 
quite  successfully  caught  with  a  gill  net. 

I  have  said  nothing  about  scenting  the  bait  for  these 
fish,  as  I  consider  it  useless. 


CHAPTER    XIY. 

HOW    TO    HUNT    THE    HONEY    BEE. 

The  Indians  say  that  the  honey  bee  is  the  white  man's 
forerunner,  and  it  is  to  he  found  wherever  the  pale-faces 
have  settled.  In  many  parts  of  the  country  they  are 
quite  plenty,  and  honey  is  excellent  eating.  Still  the 
honey  of  wild  bees  is  not  so  good  as  tame  honey,  because 
the  latter  is  made  from  white  clover  and  buckwheat. 
However,  when  wild  honey  is  made  from  bass-wood  blos- 
soms and  leaves,  it  is  almost  as  good  as  that  made  from 
buckwheat. 

The  bees  are  in  our  forests,  and  if  you  will  have  a  little 
patience,  I  will  tell  you  how  to  find  them,  and  to  get  their 
honey. 

First ;  in  early  spring,  before  the  snow  goes  off,  after  a 
warm  day  or  two  the  bees  come  out  and  fly  about  in  the 
air,  dropping  their  filth  in  the  shape  of  dark  yellow  spots 
all  over  the  snow  in  the  neighborhood  of  their  tree. 
When  you  see  this  upon  the  snow,  begm  to  look  for  a  bee 
tree.  As  the  spring  opens,  and  the  snow  goes  off,  they  get 
very  hungry,  and  if  you  offer  them  honey  they  will  take 
it  very  soon,  and  you  may  line  them  directly  to  the  tree. 

I  now  propose  to  tell  you  how  to  get  a  true  line  of 

bees.     We  will  say  it  is  in  the  month  of  July.     This  is 
67 


68  THE  hu:ntee  and  trapper. 

early  for  hunting  "bees,  and  they  don't  care  much  about 
your  honey,  because  there  are  so  many  swamp  flowers  for 
them  to  gather  from,  and  you  must  get  somethmg  they 
like  better.  Take  corn  cobs  (without  the  corn,)  and  lay 
them  lengthwise  in  a  trough,  and  pour  a  little  chamber 
lye  or  urine  upon  them,  and  let  it  stand  out  of  doors  for  a 
day  or  two,  when  the  bees  will  come  to  it  and  fill  them- 
selves at  this  season  more  eagerly  than  with  honey. 

Now  lie  down  on  your  back  so  that  you  can  see  them 
against  the  sky,  and  watch  which  direction  they  take. 
After  they  have  taken  a  turn  or  two  they  will  strike 
straight  for  home.  The  point  of  a  swamp,  or  a  high  hill, 
will  sometimes  make  them  curve  a  little,  but  otherwise 
they  will  strike  a  hee  line^  as  the  saying  is.  When  you 
are  sure  which  way  they  go,  set  one  stake  with  the  top 
painted  white,  to  enable  you  to  see  them  better,  at  the 
place  where  you  stand,  and  another  at  the  point  over 
which  they  disappeared.  By  these  two  you  can  take  the 
range  for  the  third,  and  so  on,  and  now  you  have  your 
line  started,  and  have  only  to  follow  it  straight  on  to 
strike  the  bees.  Two  men  can  set  the  stakes  much  faster 
and  more  easily  than  one. 

A  surveyor's  compass,  if  you  know  how  to  use  it,  will 
answer  the  same  purpose,  but  staking  is  very  correct, — 
only  start  right,  and  doiiH  doubt  the  hses^  for  they  w^ill  fly 
straight,  I  assure  you. 

Another  plan  is  to  set  the  trough  farther  on  in  the  line 
of  flight,  from  time  to  time,  until  you  reach  the  tree. 


now  TO    HirXT   THE   HOXET   BEE.  69 

The  usual  timo  for  liiinting  bees  is  after  the  first  frosts 
in  the  fall  of  the  year ;  and  now  I  will  try  to  lead  you 
into  a  regular  bee  hunt. 

Provide  yourself  with  a  tin  pail,  or  a  wooden  box, 
(with  a  bail  and  cover,)  having  a  capacity  of  about  two  or 
three  quarts ;  also  a  nice  plain  glass  tumbler ;  a  piece  of  a 
sbingle  with  a  handle  to  it  (this  is  to  cover  the  tumbler 
with)  ;  some  new,  good  honey ;  a  piece  of  clean  honey, 
comb,  and  a  piece  of  refuse  comb  that  the  honey  has  been 
pressed  out  of. 

Kow  start  and  go  where  you  have  seen  bees  at  Vv^ork ; 
some  winter  blossoms  may  be  there  in  bloom,  on  vrhich 
you  may  find  the  honey  bee. 

Then  take  your  piece  of  clean  comb  and  fill  it  with 
honey  (made  thinner,  if  necessary,  by  the  addition  of  wa- 
ter or  urine,  v\'hich  is  better)  and  set  it  on  the  top  of  a 
stump  or  some  place  fixed  for  it.  Xext  proceed,  in  the 
following  manner,  to  catch  a  bee:  Take  the  tumbler  in 
one  hand  and  the  shingle  in  the  other.  TThen  you  see  the 
bee  on  a  flower  hold  the  tumbler  in  such  a  way  that  you 
can  knock  bim  into  it  with  a  very  light  blow,  and  shut 
him  in  with  the  shingle.  Carry  him  to  the  prepared  honey- 
comb and  turn  the  tumbler  bottom  side  up,  when  he  will 
rise  up,  and  you  may  withdraw  the  shingle  and  set  the 
tumbler  over  the  honey-comb.  Then  take  a  handkerchief 
or  your  hat,  and  cover  the  tumbler  with  it,  and  the  bee 
will  at  once  settle  down  and  commence  to  fill  himself; 
when  he  gets  steadily  at  work,  take  the  tumbler  away  so 


70  THE    HUNTER    AND    TRAPPER. 

that  he  will  be  at  liberty  to  start  for  home  as  soon  as  he 
is  satisfied.  Now  watch  closely  which  way  he  goes,  and 
for  this  you  must  be  where  you  can  see  all  around,  for 
when  he  first  rises  he  will  swing  around  in  a  circle  several 
times  until  he  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  ground, 
and.  then  he  will  strike  his  bee-line  for  home,  and  you 
ought  to  be  able,  particularly  under  the  morning  sun,  to 
see  him  fly  for  twenty  rods.  Presently  more  will  come, 
and  they  will  fly  back  in  the  same  direction ;  then  set  your 
tumbler  over  such  as  may  be  on  the  comb,  slip  under  the 
shingle,  take  up  the  honey  and  start  on  the  line  as  far  as 
you  could,  see  or  had  the  range.  There  make  a  stand 
again,  and  proceed  as  before ;  so  continuing,  you  will  come 
to  the  tree,  or  to  where  they  will  fly  so  crooked  as  to  baffle 
you  completely,  when  you  may  make  up  your  mind  that 
you  are  in  the  right  neighborhood.  They  will  swing  around 
and  rise  very  high  to  pitch  down  to  their  nest,  or  they 
will  fly  past  the  tree  and  turn  and  come  back  toward  it. 
You  should  have  a  small  pocket  spy-glass  with  which  to 
examine  the  tops  of  tall  trees,  or  to  examine  any  suspicious 
looking  one. 

If  you  should  not  succeed  in  finding  blossoms  with  bees 
on  them,  you  should  make  a  fire  and  heat  some  stones  red 
hot,  and  lay  on  them  some  of  the  refuse  comb  I  spoke  of, 
and  when  this  begins  to  burn,  it  will  raise  quite  an  odor 
of  honey  and  beeswax,  which  the  bees  will  smell  out  from 
quite  a  distance.  When  they  come  to  it,  catch  them  im- 
der  your  tumbler,  and  proceed  as  before  directed. 


HOW   TO    HUNT   THE   HOXEY   BEE.  71 

Sometimes  the  bees  will  come  from  cliiTerent  directions, 
in  wliicli  case  you  must  mark  tlie  back  of  one  of  them  with 
chalk,  so  that  you  can  see  which  way  he  goes. 

Sometimes  they  don't  seem  to  like  honey,  and  then  it  is 
a  good  plan  to  put  in  a  little  oil  of  anise, — say  two  or 
three  drops  to  a  gill. 

When  you  have  found  the  tree  in  which  the  bees  have 
their  hive,  and  are  ready  to  cut  it  down,  fell  it  so  that  it 
will  strike  on  some  small  tree  that  will  let  it  down  easy, 
and  if  you  want  to  save  it  for  a  skip  or  breeder,  saw  out 
the  jDiece  that  the  bt?es  are  in ;  first,  if  it  is  much  shatter- 
ed, drawing  it  together  with  a  chain  and  putting  hoops 
around  it.  The  bees  will  rej^air  any  damage  that  may  be 
done  inside,  if  they  have  warm  weather  enough  to  do  it  in. 

If  you  want  to  save  it,  it  is  best  to  mark  the  tree  and 
let  it  stand  until  spring,  and  then  cut  it  down  and  take  it 
home,  when  the  bees  will  have  plenty  of  time  to  commence 
the  season  of  honey-making.  If  there  is  a  large,  rough 
hole  for  them  to  stow  away  in,  they  will  make  as  much 
again  honey  during  the  season  as  they  would  do  in  the 
woods.  If  you  want  much  honey,  have  a  large  place  for 
them.  If  you  set  one  hive  on  another,  and  leave  no  open 
space,  they  will  work  on  and  fill  up  and  breed,  and  never 
swarm.  In  this  way  two  hundred  pounds  of  honey  may 
be  obtained. 

You  must  have  the  hive  so  w^ell  fixed,  top  and  bottom, 
that  mice  and  pismires  will  be  excluded,  leaving  only  a 
suitable  aperture  for  the  bees  themselves  to  go  in  and  out. 


7:3  THE    IIUXTER    AND   TRAPPER. 

This  they  Trill  guard  against  all  intruders, — moths,  hornets, 
or  robbing  bees  from  other  swarms.  My  experience  is, 
when  you  see  a  robber  come  to  the  bee  hole  in  the  hive, 
you  will  know  him  at  once  by  his  fine  singing  noise  and 
the  manner  in  which  he  alights  on  the  board  to  avoid  the 
sentry.  Have  your  knife  ready  and  cut  him  in  two ;  they 
won't  do  this  many  times  before  they  will  stop  it  alto- 
gether. 

In  the  month  of  July  the  bees  make  a  loud,  humming 
noise  at  their  hives,  and  in  walking  through  the  w^oods 
you  may  hear  them  fifteen  rods.  Many  are  found  in  this 
way,  and  it  is  about  the  best  way  to  hunt  them  when  they 
are  plenty  during  this  month.  About  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  the  drones  are  out,  and  you  may  hear  them  for 
twenty  rods. 

It  is  at  this  season  that  it  is  best  to  use  stinMng  hait^ 
as  we  call  it.  I  told  you  before  how  to  make  it ;  they 
like  it  better  than  honey. 

Another  way  to  make  this  bait  is  to  take  a  wooden 
trough  that  will  hold  about  six  quarts,  and  put  in  it  about 
four  quarts  of  rotten  mould  or  muck  earth,  a  small  hand- 
ful of  salt,  and  two  quarts  of  urine.  After  two  or  three 
days  the  bees  will  commence  to  work  in  it,  and  they  will 
fill  themselves  about  as  quickly  as  they  will  with  honey. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

HINTS    ABOUT    SHOT-GUNS    AND    RIFLES. 

Shot-gu^s  are  of  various  sizes  and  patterns.  The  best 
size,  I  think,  weighs  about  eight  pounds, — double  barrel- 
led. The  best  kind,  in  my  opinion,  is  the  laminated  steel 
twist  gun. 

The  gun  should  put  about  six  shot  within  tlie  size  of 
your  hand  at  a  distance  of  eight  rods,  and  for  ducks  and 
all  large  game  it  should  be  a  strong  shooter. 

The  most  important  point  in  the  gun  is  the  construction 
of  the  barrel,  that  is,  the  shape  of  the  bore.  If  this  is  a 
joerfect  cylinder, — of  exactly  the  same  size  from  muzzle  to 
breech, — the  gun  is  worthless,  as  it  would  shoot  with  no 
force.  In  order  to  be  a  strong  shooter  it  must  be  a  little 
the  largest  at  the  breech.  Of  course  it  will  "  kick,"  but 
kicking  is  not  always  a  sign  that  the  gun  will  carry  shot 
well,  even  though  it  be  a  strong  shooter,  and  for  this  rea- 
son the  contraction  of  the  bore  toward  tlie  muzzle  may  bo 
too  rapid,  or  too  great,  so  that  the  lines  of  opposite  sides 
of  the  bore  would  cross  each  other  too  short  a  distance  in 
advance  of  the  muzzle,  so  that  the  shot  would  cross  each 

other  and  so  scatter.     If  these  lines  cross  within  a  dis- 
73        4 


74  THE   HUNTER   AND   TRAPPEE. 

tance  of  five  or  six  rods,  when  the  shot  have  flown  eight 
rods,  they  will  scatter  over  a  wide  space.  As  the  shot 
leave  the  gun  they  hug  the  sides  of  the  bore,  and  if  this 
is  of  equal  size  through  its  whole  length,  they  will  com- 
mence to  scatter  as  soon  as  they  leave  the  muzzle,  and  the 
gun  will  be  of  no  use ;  but  if  the  bore  gathers  toward  the 
muzzle  so  that  the  charge  is  concentrated  at  the  proper 
distance,  the  gun  will  shoot  well. 

If  your  gun  scatters  too  much,  it  is  because  it  is  too 
large  or  too  small  at  the  breech.  This  you  can  determine 
by  going  to  a  gunsmith,  who  will  cast  lead  in  the  barrel. 
If  this  will  push  through  the  whole  barrel  with  a  uniform 
pressure,  it  is  of  the  same  size  throughout  and  must  be 
made  larger  at  the  breech;  this  is  done  by  casting  a 
block  of  lead  on  the  end  of  a  rod  near  the  breech,  and 
working  it  up  and  down  with  emory  powder  in  such  a 
way  as  to  grind  it  off  more  at  the  breech  than  toward  the 
muzzle.  Try  it  occasionally  until  at  a  distance  of  eight 
or  nine  rods  it  will  plant  six  shot  within  the  size  of  your 
hand,  placing  them  in  threes,  here  and  there.  If  it  still 
scatters  too  much,  work  out  the  breech  a  little  more,  until 
it  springs  sharply  in  firing  and  throws  the  shot  as  you 
want  it  to. 

The  same  principle  holds  true  with  regard  to  the  rifle. 
It  will  not  shoot  strongly,  unless  it  is  a  little  smaller  at 
the  muzzle  than  at  the  breech. 

They  make  rifles  in  great  perfection  now-a-days,  but  they 
are  not  all  accurate  shooters.     Very  many  breech-loaders 


HIXTS    ABOUT   SHOT-GUXS   AXD   EIFLES.  75 

are  not, — not  shooting  closely  and  steadily,  yet  a  fifteen 
shooter  is  certainly  an  excellent  weapon  with  which  to 
face  a  bear,  if  one  can  be  obtained  that  will  shoot  steadily. 
Still,  I  am  not  certain  that  this  is  the  case. 

I  like  the  Henry  rifle  on  many  accounts,  for  you  need 
carry  no  powder-flask,  bullet-pouch,  cap-bag,  nor  ramrod. 
Your  wiper  is  in  the  end  of  the  breech.  You  need  not 
cover  this  rifle  from  the  rain,  and  it  would  go  ofl"  just  as 
well  if  it  had  lain  under  water  all  night.  It  carries  a  half- 
ounce  ball,  which  is  quite  large  enough.* 

There  are  double-barrelled  rifles,  loading  from  the 
muzzle,  which  are  accurate  shooters,  and  can  be  depended 
on  every  time. 

For  bear  or  deer  hunting,  I  prefer  balls  that  weigh 
about  fifty  to  the  pound. 


*  Probably  if  our  author  had  knoT\Ti  the  Spencer  Eifle,  which  carries 
seven  charges  iu  its  magazine  and  is  a  capital  arm,  he  would  have  given 
it  the  preference  over  the  Henry,  as  did  our  army  during  the  war.— [Ed.] 


CHAPTER    XVI 


TRAPS. 


For  catching  the  mink,  coon,  fox,  or  any  small  animal 
that  may  cross  a  stream  of  water  on  a  fallen  tree,  be  the 
same  large  or  small,  a  wooden  trap  may  be  used  that  may 
be  made  in  about  half  an  hour's  time  by  any  man  or  boy 
who  has  a  little  ingenuity. 

Where  a  tree  or  j^ole  has  fallen  or  been  placed  across  a 
brook,  any  small  animals  travelling  in  that  vicinity  will, 
more  or  less,  cross  uiDon  it,  and  I  have  long  been  puzzled 
to  find  a  traj)  that  would  catch  them.  I  have  seen  the 
necessity  for  such  a  trap  and  have  waited  for  other  men 
to  invent  it,  but  none  was  forthcoming;  and  at  length, by 
persevering,  I  contrived  the  following  simple  and  easy 
23lan,  shown  in  fig.  1. 

The  letter  A  represents  the  brook ;  J),  the  tree  crossing 
it ;  and  C,  the  bed-piece  of  the  trap,  lying  at  right  angles 
to  the  pole,  one  end  resting  upon  it  and  the  other  (it  may 
be  20  or  30  feet  long)  lying  in  the  crotch  j5",  which  is 
driven  into  the  bed  of  the  stream.  D  represents  the  dead- 
pole  lying  over  the  bed-piece  C,  working  up  and  down 
between  the  two  guides,  ^  E^  the  hinge  end  of  it  resting 
in  the  crotch  H.  The  tra])  end  reaches  to  two  posts,  11^ 
which  hold  up  the  trio:ger  and  cap  piece  G  G,  tied  to- 

TO 


TRAPS. 


77 


getlier  witli  a  bit  of  stout  cord  or  bark.  When  the  trap 
is  set,  the  dead-pole  lies  on  the  end  of  the  trigger  G.  The 
long  strip  of  wood  marked  i^  Avith  one  end  tied  to  the 
dead-pole  with  a  bit  of  bark,  at  JI,  we  will  call  the  tongue. 
This  reaches  through  between  the  guides  E  E^  and  the 


Fi^^  1. — TP.AP  FOK  MINKS,   COOXS,   ETC. 

trigger  posts  11^  being  long  enough  to  catch  the  end  of 
the  trigger  in  a  notch  made  in  the  end  of  the  tongue.  The 
pressure  of  the  dead-pole  upon  the  trigger  lifts  the  tongue 
from  the  bed-piece  and  enables  you  to  set  the  trap  high 
or  low,  as  you  jolease,  according  to  the  size  of  the  animal 
you  are  after,  whether  a  squirrel  or  a  coon. 

The   tongue  may  be  made  of  a  round  piece  of  wood, 
about  the  size  of  a  hoop  pole,  split  in  two  and  placed  flat 


7»  THE    HUNTER    AND    TRAPPEE. 

side  down.  It  should  be  four  feet  long.  The  bed-piece 
should  be  enough  larger  than  the  dead-pole  to  enable  you 
to  set  the  guide  and  trigger  posts  E  JE^  and  11^  into  it, 
driving  them  into  auger  holes,  or,  the  ends  being  cut 
wedge-shape,  into  splits  made  with  an  axe. 

This  trap  may  be  set  in  the  same  manner  on  the  top  of 
a  fence  to  catch  squirrels,  or  across  the  beaten  path  of  any 
animal  that  will  step  on  a  pole  to  jump  over  it  if  he  finds 
it  in  his  road. 

The  dead-23ole  should  be  raised  from  six  to  ten  inches, 
according  to  the  size  of  the  animal  you  want  to  catch. 
This  is  regulated  by  making  the  trigger  shorter  or  longer. 

I  will  now  try  to  describe  a  wooden  trap  that  may  be 
built  with  little  labor,  in  which  you  may  easily  catch  a 
bear.  The  only  tools  necessary  are  a  good,  sharp  axe,  and 
a  two-inch  auger. 

Go  to  the  usual  haunts  of  the  bear,  or  to  some  j^lace  to 
which  he  makes  frequent  visits,  and  lay  down  a  bed-piece 
or  log,  say  ten  inches  in  diameter  and  twelve  feet  long. 
Directly  on  the  top  of  this  place  a  dead-pole  of  the  same 
diameter,  and  the  full  length  of  the  tree,  or  thirty  feet 
long.  Let  the  small  end  of  the  dead-pole  be  somewhat 
elevated,  so  that  it  may  lie  fairly  on  the  whole  length  of 
the  bed-piece.  At  the  centre  of  the  bed-piece  build  a 
house-like  enclosure  (about  two  feet  wide  and  three  feet 
long  on  one  side  of  the  bed-piece)  by  driving  down 
straight  pieces  of  good  timber  about  three  inches  in  di- 
ameter, set  firmly  in  the  ground  so  as  to  be  four  feet  high, 


TEAP3.  79 

and  covered  over  so  strongly  that  a  bear  cannot  unroof  it 
to  get  at  the  bait  tliat  is  to  be  put  inside.  The  end  of 
the  house  next  to  the  bed-piece  will  hold  it  firmly  and  will 
serve  as  one  side  of  the  guides  for  the  dead-pole  to  play 
between.  Stakes  of  the  same  sort  should  be  driven  down 
at  the  other  side  of  the  bed-piece,  one  ojDposite  each  end  of 
the  enclosure,  to  complete  the  guides,  and  these  should  be 
connected  with  the  others  by  extending  the  roof  over  them. 

Three  inches  from  the  outside  of  the  enclosure,  on  the 
side  toward  the  but-end  of  the  dead-pole,  and  nine  mches 
back  from  the  bed-piece,  drive  down  a  large,  soUd  post. 
Cut  a  groove  or  notch  in  the  top  of  this,  to  hold  the  lever 
and  keejD  it  from  rolling.  This  jDost  should  be  about  two 
and  a  half  feet  high,  or  sufficient  to  raise  the  dead-pole  two 
feet  at  the  entrance  of  the  trap. 

Make  a  strong  lever,  say  five  feet  long,  to  rest  in  the 
groove  at  the  top  of  the  post,  and  support  the  dead-pole 
over  one  end  of  it,  so  that  the  other  end  will  come  down 
by  the  side  of  the  enclosm-e. 

Now  drive  another  stout  post  at  the  outside  of  the 
house  near  its  back  end,  so  that  the  lever  will  pass  down 
a  little  outside  of  it.  In  this  post,  on  the  side  toward  the 
dead-pole,  cut  a  notch  with  the  square  sidft  above,  so  that 
a  latch  stick  placed  over  the  end  of  the  lever,  to  hold  it 
down,  will  be  pressed  nj)  against  it  and  held  there.  This 
latch  stick  should  pass  through  an  aperture  in  the  side  of 
the  enclosure  or  house  and  reach  nearly  across  it,  its  other 
end  being  held  up  by  another  post  having  a  notch  cut 


80  THE    HUXTER   AND   TEAPPEE. 

with  its  square  side  below.  The  latch  will  now  hold  the 
lever  under  its  outer  end,  be  pressed  up  against  the  flat 
side  of  the  notch  in  the  post  outside  of  the  house,  and 
pressed  down  against  the  flat  side  of  the  notch  in  the  post 
inside  of  the  house. 

Next,  take  a  forked  stick  of  good  size  and  lay  it  across 

N 


Fig.  2.— TRAP  FOR  BEARS. 

a  bed-piece  on  the  bottom  of  the  house  so  that  it  will  play 
up  and  dow^n  over  it.  Put  the  crotch  end  under  the  latch 
stick,  and  let  the  two  prongs  reach  nearly  to  the  bed-piece 
of  the  trap.  Pin  a  board  or  other  flat  piece  of  wood 
across  these  for  the  bear  to  step  on,  and  set  a  post  (by 


TRAPS. 


81 


means  of  an  auger  hole)  in  the  crotch  end,  reaching  to 
the  under  side  of  the  latch  stick.  When  the  bear  steps 
on  the  board  and  i^resses  it  down,  he  will  raise  the  crotch 
end,  and  the  post  wnll  throw  the  latch  out  of  the  notch, 
when  it  will  no  longer  hold  the  lever,  and  the  dead- 
pole  will  fall 
across  his  back. 
The  dead  -  jDole 
should  be  heavily- 
weighted  by  lay- 
ing logs  across  it. 
^^^^_^  The  trap** should 
_1  be  baited  with 
honey,  for  the 
bear  will  always 

F\<^.   3.— TRAP  FOR  BEARS— SECTION.  ,  ,  ,  _^ 

risk  his  life  to  get 
at  this.  Fresh  meat  will  bait  it  for  the  wolf  or  for  a  dog. 
This  is  preferable  to  the  steel  trap,  for  there  is  no 
danger  of  catching  men  or  cattle  in  it ;  and  its  cost  is 
trifling.  The  plan,  fig.  2,  page  80,  wdll  help  the  description  : 
A,  the  bed-piece ;  ^,  the  dead-pole,  of  which  a  section 
only  is  shown  ;  C  (7,  the  guides ;  D,  the  lever  post ;  -E', 
the  lever ;  i^,  the  latch ;  G,  the  latch  post  outside  of  the 
house;  JI IlJS^y  the  house  or  enclosure;  I,  the  treadle 
for  springing  the  trap  ;  iT,  the  bed-piece,  across  which  the 
treadle  is  balanced  ;  X,  the  post  to  knock  off  the  latch ; 
JLT,  the  latch  post  inside  of  the  house.     In  fig.  3  some  parts 

of  the  trap  are  given,  which  are  obscured  in  fig.  2. 
4* 


CHAPTER    XYII. 

DRESSING    AND    TANNING    SKINS    AND    FURS. 

HOW  TO  DRESS  THE  SKINS  OF  THE  BUCK  AND  THE  DOE, 
AND  TO  PEEPAEE  THEM  FOR  MAKING  MITTENS,  GLOVES, 
ETC. 

There  are  various  ways  of  dressing  these  skins,  but 
some  are  easier  and  better  than  others.  Several  of  the 
recipes  given  below  have  been  hawked  about  the  country 
at  five  dollars  each. 

We  will  commence  with  what  is  called  oil-dressing,  and, 
to  begin  at  the  beginning,  the  directions  would  be,  "  first 
catch  your  deer."  As  soon  as  the  hide  is  taken  off  from 
the  deer's  back,  it  should  be  grained ;  to  do  this,  provide 
yourself  with  a  beam  eight  inches  through,  and  six  feet 
long ;  put  two  legs  in  one  end,  and  let  the  other  rest  on 
the  ground,  so  that  it  will  stand  at  a  steep  slant.  The 
beam  must  be  of  hard  wood,  shaved  smooth,  without  a 
ridge  in  it. 

Provide  yourself  with  a  knife.  One  made  for  the  pur- 
pose is  best,  but  you  may  make  a  very  good  one  by  taking 
an  old  shaving  knife  and  grinding  it  square  across  the 
edge,  until  it  has  a  face   about  a  sixteenth  of  an  inch 

across.     Then  whet  the  corners  smooth,  so  that  they  will 

82 


DRESSING   AND   TAXXIXG    SKIXS    AND   FURS.  83 

not  cut  the  skin.  A  piece  of  a  scythe,  with  a  handle  at 
each  end,  makes  a  good  fleshing  knife. 

"Now  sit  down,  with  the  highest  end  of  the  beam 
against  your  belly,  and  lay  on  the  skin,  hair  side  down, 
and  i^roceed  to  take  off  all  the  flesh  and  fat,  and  every 
unequal  substance  before  you  turn  the  hair  side  up. 
Then  commence  to  grain,  with  the  neck  of  the  skin  next 
to  you,  and  shove  against  the  hair,  having  a  firm  hold  of 
the  knife,  and  shoving  with  some  strength,  when  off  will 
go  a  streak  of  the  grain,  and  so  proceed  until  it  is  all  off. 
This  is  the  way  to  grain  a  green  hide  just  taken  from  the 
animal. 

To  grain  a  dry  hide,  first  put  it  in  a  tub  or  barrel  of 
warm  Avater,  and  let  it  lie  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  then 
add  to  each  half  barrel  of  water  a  pint  of  good  slaked 
lime,  and  let  it  stand  twenty-four  hours  more ;  then  pro- 
ceed as  with  a  fresh  skin. 

When  the  work  is  properly  done,  the  skin  will  be  as  clear 
as  glass,  with  no  streak  of  grain  or  other  uneven  substance 
left ;  unless  it  is  in  this  condition,  it  will  not  dress  well. 

Now,  in  order  to  dress  one  buck  skin,  take  eight  quarts 
of  fresh  rain  water  and  warm  it,  and  put  in  one  pint  of 
soft  soap.  Put  in  the  skin  while  the  liquid  is  warm,  and 
work  it  with  the  hands,  or  punch  it  with  a  stick,  until  the 
soapsuds  is  quite  worked  into  it,  say  twenty-four  liours. 
Then  take  it  out  and  pass  it  between  two  sticks,  or  pass 
it  tlirough  a  good  wringing  machine.  Then  pull  it  until 
it  is  dry,  in  the  hot  sun,  or  before  a  hot  fire.     Next  stretch 


84  THE    nUNTER    AND    TRAPPER. 

it  out  to  its  full  size,  and  spread  on  some  soft  grease,  or 
any  animal  oil,  until  it  is  well  oiled  through.  Then  heat 
uj)  the  suds  again,  and  aj^ply  half  as  much  more  soap,  and 
put  in  the  skin  again  and  work  it  well  for  a  time,  and  let 
it  lie  twenty- four  hours  longer.  Then  take  it  out  and  pull 
it  dry,  as  before.  For  all  doe  skins,  and  for  yearling 
bucks,  this  will  be  enough,  but  old  buck  skins  must  go  in 
once  more,  and  when  pulled  dry  again  they  will  be  as  soft 
as  velvet. 

The  best  grease  to  use  is  butter,  which  is  the  greatest 
softener  in  the  world,  and  a  less  quantity  will  answer  than 
of  any  other  grease. 

When  the  skin  is  dressed  and  pulled  dry,  you  may  apply 
ochre  to  make  it  yellow,  or  hang  it  u-p  in  a  smoke-house 
and  smoke  it  with  a  smudge  of  rotten  w^ater  elm,  which 
will  make  it  a  beautiful  reddish  yellow. 

Another  process  is  to  let  the  skin  lie  in  clear  water  until 
the  hair  will  slip  off,  and  then  grain  it  on  the  beam.  This 
is  a  very  good  way.  I  have  practised  it,  and  found  the 
leather  as  tough  as  that  of  the  green  hide. 

Take  the  brains  out  of  the  head  of  a  deer,  or  of  a  hog, 
tie  them  up  in  a  cloth,  and  put  them  into  a  gallon  of 
water,  and  boil  for  an  hour ;  then  squeeze  the  cloth  so  as 
to  press  through  as  mucli  as  you  can ;  let  it  stand  until 
you  can  barely  hold  your  hand  in  it  without  scalding ; 
then  put  in  the  grained  skin,  working  it  continually  for 
two  or  three  minutes  ;  then  take  it  out,  wring  it,  and  pull 
it  dry.     If  not  soft  enough,  heat  up  and  put  in  again ; 


DKESSIXG   AND   TAXXIXG    SKIXS    AXD   FURS.  85 

then  work  it  and  dry  it  as  before.  No  doubt  it  will  be 
done  by  tins  time,  but  if  it  is  still,  a  little  hard,  apply  a 
small  amount  of  butter,  and  work  it  in  thoroughly,  and 
then  smoke,  as  before  directed.  This  is  the  Indian  dress- 
ing. There  is  no  doubt  that  the  first  recipe — the  oil- 
dressing — is  the  best  of  all. 

Tanning. — The  first  thing  to  be  done  preparatory  to 
tanning  a  hide  or  skin  is  to  soak  it,  as  no  hide  can  be 
tanned  unless  it  has  been  soaked  and  properly  broken  on 
a  fleshing  beam.  Soak  in  soft  water,  and,  unless  the  hides 
have  been  salted,  add  a  little  salt  to  the  water.  Green 
hides  should  remain  in  until  thoroughly  well  soaked,  say 
from  ten  to  twelve  hours,  according  to  thickness;  dry 
hides  from  two  to  six  days.  All  hard  or  unbroken  spots 
must  be  softened  after  soaking.  To  remove  the  hair  or 
wool,  immerse  the  hide  or  skin  in  a  liquor  composed  of 
ten  gallons  of  cold,  soft  water,  eight  quarts  of  slaked 
lime,  and  eight  quarts  of  hard  wood  ashes.  Let  it  soak 
from  two  to  six  days,  or  until  the  hair  or  wool  slips  off 
easily. 

If  it  is  desired  to  keep  the  wool  or  hair  clean,  instead 
of  using  the  liquor,  take  equal  parts  of  slaked  lime  and 
hard  wood  ashes,  and  make  into  a  thin  paste,  with  water. 
Spread  this  on  the  flesh  side,  and  then  roll  up  the  skin, 
flesh  side  in,  and  place  it  in  a  tub  or  barrel,  barely  cover- 
ing it  with  water.  Let  it  soak  from  one  to  ten  days,  or 
until  the  hair  or  wool  can  be  easily  removed ;  then  take 


86  THE    HUNTER    AND   TEAPPER. 

the  hides  from  the  soak,  and  scrape  off  the  hair  and  flesh 
with  a  fleshing  knife. 

The  hides,  by  being  soaked  in  the  lime  liquor,  are  raised 
too  much  to  be  submitted  to  the  tanning  liquor.  They 
must  first  be  reduced  to  their  original  thickness,  by  being 
entirely  freed  from  the  lime.  This  is  done  by  what  is 
termed  "bating." 

A  bate  is  made  of  ten  gallons  of  cold,  soft  water,  one 
half  bushel  of  wheat  bran,  and  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of 
sulphuric  acid.  It  should  be  prepared  a  day  or  two  before 
using,  in  order  that  the  bran  may  ferment.  By  using 
lukewarm  instead  of  cold  water,  the  process  will  be 
hastened.  Put  the  hide  into  this  bate,  and  let  it  remain 
mitil  it  is  reduced  to  its  natural  thickness  and  is  as  soft  as 
a  green  liide.  Then  remove  it  and  rinse  it  in  soft  water, 
and  work  it  out,  at  least  once,  over  the  fleshing  beam. 
For  a  thick  hide,  a  second  rinsing  and  working  will  be 
necessary. 

Tanning  Liquor. — For  light  hides,  add  one-half  bushel 
of  wheat  bran  to  ten  gallons  of  soft,  warm  water,  stirring 
it  in.  Let  it  stand  in  a  warm  room  until  it  ferments,  then 
add  seven  pounds  of  salt,  and  stir  it  until  it  dissolves ; 
then  add  slowly,  and  stir  in,  two  and  a  half  pounds  of 
sulphuric  acid.  Into  this  liquor  put  the  hide,  and  handle 
it  until  it  is  perfectly  saturated. 

This  tan  will  impart  no  color  to  the  leather,  but  will  act 
as  a  mordant  for  setting  a  variety  of  bark  or  vegetable 


DRESSING   AXD   Tx^XNIXG   SKIXS   AND   FUES.  87 

colors.  This  tan  liquor,  when  properly  prepared,  has  a 
sour,  2)ungent  taste,  sharper  than  the  keenest  vinegar,  but 
is  not  so  strong  as  to  injure  the  tongue  or  hands.  This  is 
the  test  for  the  strength  of  the  liquor.  If  it  becomes 
much  reduced  below  this  test,  while  the  hides  are  in  it,  it 
must  be  strengthened.  To  do  this,  remove  the  hides; 
then  skim  off  the  bran,  which  is  now  worthless,  and  add 
to  the  old  liquor  fermented  bran,  salt,  and  acid,  as  before. 
Light  hides  should  remain  in  the  tan  liquor  from  four  to 
twelve  hours.  Then  rinse  them  in  soft  water,  two  or 
three  times,  pushing  out  all  the  tan  from  the  fur  or  hair. 
All  tanned  skins  should  be  thoroughly  rinsed  before 
applying  the  liquid  stuffing,  which  is  composed  in  the 
following  manner. 

Take  one-third  leached  lye,  and  two-thirds  tanner's  or 
neat's  foot  oil,  beat  together,  and  apply  with  a  stiff  brush. 
Give  calf  skins  two  coats,  furs  one  light  coat,  and  deer 
skins  two  coats,  one  on  each  side.  Hang  them  in  the 
shade  to  dry.  When  half  dry,  take  them  on  the  beam 
over  some  yielding  substance,  and  by  pushing  the  edge  of 
the  flesh  knife  stoutly  over  the  leather  in  all  directions,  it 
will  become  soft  and  pliable. 

In  treating  a  calf  skin,  when  the  liquid  is  nearly  dried 
in,  apply  a  thorough  coat  of  water-proof  stuffing. 

All  bides  and  skins  when  drying  are  like  full  cloth. 
When  wet,  they  contract  or  pull  up,  and  have  to  be 
stretched.  To  do  this,  take  tlie  hide  after  the  liquid  stuff- 
ing is  dried  in,  dampen  it,  and  place  it  on  the  fleshing 


88  THE   HUin^ER   AXD   TKAPPER. 

beam  over  some  yielding  substance  like  a  sheep  skin. 
Then  use  the  flesh  knife,  (a  circular  knife,  like  the  cook's 
chopping  knife.)  By  pushing  the  edge  stoutly  in  all 
directions  over  the  leather,  it  will  become  stretched,  and 
be  made  fit  for  the  various  uses  to  which  it  is  to  be  put. 

The  following  is  a  simj^le  way  to  dress  deer  skins.  First 
have  them  grained  as  already  directed.  Then,  into  a  two 
gallon  stone  pot,  put  two  quarts  of  rain  water,  one  oz.  sul- 
phuric acid,  and  one  gill  of  salt. 

Put  in  the  hide,  work  it  well  for  two  or  three  minutes, 
wring  it  out,  pull  it  dry,  and  smoke  it. 

COLOEING    HIDES. 

Black. — ^Use  logwood  clear;  dry,  and  then  use  cop- 
peras water  to  make  it  black.  Don't  use  too  much  cop- 
peras. 

Drab. — Pulverize  blue  clay  with  soft  soap,  add  blue 
vitriol,  or  extract  of  logwood,  to  shade  the  color  as  you 
wish. 

Dark  Brown. — Seven  lbs.  of  oak  bark,  six  lbs.  of  young 
fustic,  one  lb.  of  logwood.  Strike  in  with  strong  alum 
water. 

To  Buff  Buckskin. — ^Take  five  parts  of  dry  whiting 
and  two  parts  of  yellow  ochre,  and  mix  them  with  water 
to  a  stiff  paste.  Mould  into  balls,  and  lay  by  to  dry. 
When  the  dressed  skin  is  dry,  rub  the  ball  over  the  sur- 
face, and  scour  the  powder  in,  and  nap  the  leather  by  go- 
ing over  it  with  sand  paper,  folded  over  a  small  piece  of 


DEESSIXG   AND    TAXXIXG    SKIXS    AXD    FUES.  69 

half  round  wood  ;  or  rub  the   leather  down  with  pumice, 
stone. 

Buff  or  DarJc  Brown. — Take  equal  parts  of  pulver- 
ized, unslaked  lime,  and  litharge,  and  mix  to  a  thin  paste 
with  water ;  apply  it  with  a  brush.  One  or  two  coats 
will  give  a  light  buff  or  buckskin  color,  which  every  ad- 
ditional coat  will  deepen.  By  adding  ammonia  and 
nitrate  of  silver,  a  beautiful  black  color  is  produced.  This 
color  may  be  so  applied  as  to  give  a  leopard  skin  appear- 
ance, and  in  the  hands  of  an  ingenious  person,  a  beautiful 
effect  can  be  produced. 

Another. — One  oz.  of  crystalized  nitrate  of  silver,  eight 
oz.  carbonate  ammonia,  one  and  a  half  pints  of  rain 
water.  Cork  tight.  Apply  to  the  surface  of  the  fur  with 
a  brush.  One  application  will  make  a  brown,  and  by  re- 
peating it  often  enough,  the  color  may  be  deepened  to  a 
black. 

TO    DEESS   FOX   SKIXS. 

Commence  to  skin  the  fox  by  ripping  down  the  back 
of  each  hind  leg  until  the  slits  meet  at  the  crotch.  Don't 
rip  up  the  belly,  but  skin  the  body  whole.  Skin  the  tail 
by  putting  a  split  stick  over  the  bone  of  the  tail,  between 
the  hide  and  the  body.  Hold  it  tight,  so  that  it  will 
scrape  the  bone  of  the  tail,  and  then  pull  this  out  of  the 
hide.  Draw  tlie  hide  over  a  board,  made  ready  of  a 
width  from  end  to  end,  and  when  it  is  dry,  slip  it  off  and 
turn  it  fur  side  out ;  then  it  is  ready  to  sell. 


90  THE    HUNTER  AND    TRAPPER. 


BEAVER   SKINS. 


Ki})  the  skin  as  you  would  that  of  a  sheep.  Stretch  it 
to  its  full  size  in  all  directions,  and  nail  it  on  a  board  to 
dry.  It  may  be  dressed  by  a  mixture  of  equal  j^arts  of 
rock  salt  and  alum  dissolved  in  water,  with  coarse  flour 
stirred  in  to  make  it  about  as  thick  as  cream.  Spread 
this  on  about  half  an  inch  thick,  and  when  dry,  scrape  it 
off.     If  this  is  not  enough,  put  it  on  a  second  time. 

To  make  it  into  furs,  pluck  out  the  long  hairs. 

OTTER    SKIN. 

Skin  him  nearly  the  same  as  the  fox,  only  that  the  tail 
must  be  ripped  up,  and  when  the  hide  is  turned  down  to 
the  four  legs,  they  must  be  skinned  out  carefully.  Slip 
the  skin  over  a  board  that  will  not  fit  it  so  tightly  as  to 
injure  the  fur.  Stretch  out  the  tail,  and  hold  it  in  place 
by  tacking  it  with  small  nails  around  the  edges.  If  it  is  a 
real  black  fellow  that  shines  like  a  crow,  probably  you 
will  get  eight  or  ten  dollars  for  him.  It  may  be  dressed 
in  the  same  manner  as  a  beaver  skin. 

MINK   SKINS. 

The  same  directions  in  all  respects  as  for  the  foregoing, 
save  that  after  the  paste  gets  dry  it  should  be  scraped  off 
with  the  bowl  of  a  spoon,  taking  care  to  keep  the  skin 
stretched  tightly,  so  that  the  astringent  matter  will  not 
shrink  it  too  much. 


DEESSIXG   AXD   TAX]STNG   SKINS   AXD   FUES.  91 

The  skin  may  be  dressed  as  soft  as  yelvet,  and  the  ahim 
and  salt  will  set  the  hair  securely. 

During  the  warm,  summer  months  the  mink  is  nearly 
stripped  of  his  fur,  the  skin  is  thin,  and  the  buts  of  the 
hair  stick  nearly  through,  making  the  pelt  black. 

The  skin  is  in  its  prime  from  midwinter  until  about  the 
middle  of  May. 

MIJSKEAT   SKIXS. 

These  skins  are  very  tender,  and  the  flesh  is  very  tough, 
so  that  they  will  not  bear  fleshing  until  they  have  lain  for 
at  least  six  hours  in  the  tan  liquor  described  above  for 
light  deer  skins.  After  this  it  should  be  fleshed  over  the 
flesh  side  of  a  sheep  skin,  with  the  circular  fleshing  knife. 
The  fur  may  be  enlivened  by  being  rubbed  with  a  mixture 
of  equal  parts  of  scorched  bran  and  clean  wliite  sand. 

EACCOOX    SKIXS. 

These  should  be  nailed  on  a  board  to  dry,  and  smeared 
with  a  paste  made  of  equal  parts  of  alum  and  salt  dis- 
solved in  a  weak  solution  of  sulphuric  acid,  say  2  oz.  of 
alum,  2  oz.  of  salt,  1  drachm  of  sulphuric  acid,  1  pint 
of  water,  and  a  little  wheat  bran.  When  nearly  dry, 
scrape  it  ofi*  with  a  spoon,  and  work  the  skin  very  soft. 

This  may  be  done  by  rolling  up  the  skin,  instead  of  nail- 
ing it  on  a  board ;  or  it  may  be  put  in  the  tan  liquor 
recommended  for  light  deer  hides. 

BEAE    SKIX'S. 

Tan  in  the  same  manner  in  all  respects  as  the  Raccoon 
skins. 


GARDENING  FOR  PROFIT 

In  the  Market  and  Family  GJ-arden. 
By  Peter  Hexdersox. 

This  is  the  first  work  on  Market  Gardening  ever  published  in  this 
country.  Its  author  is  well  known  as  a  market  gardener  of  eighteen 
years'  successful  experience.  In  this  work  he  has  recorded  this 
experience,  and  given,  without  reservation,  the  methods  necessary 
to  the  profitable  culture  of  the  commercial  or 

It  is  a  work  for  which  there  has  long  been  a  demand,  and  one 
which  will  commend  itself,  not  only  to  those  who  grow  vegetables 
for  sale,  but  to  the  cultivator  of  the 

FAMILY  GAEDEN, 

to  whom  it  presents  methods  quite  different  from  the  old  ones  gen- 
erally practiced.  It  is  an  original  and  purely  American  work,  and 
not  made  up,  as  books  on  gardening  too  often  are,  by  quotations 
from  foreign  authors. 

Every  thing  is  made  perfectly  plain,  and  the  subject  treated  in  all 
its  details,  from  the  selection  of  the  soil  to  preparing  the  products 
for  market. 

CONTENTS. 

Men  fitted  for  the  Business  of  Gardening, 

The  Amoxint  of  Capital  Eequired,  and 

"Working  Ij'orce  per  Acre. 

Profits  of  Market  Gardening. 

Location,  Situation,  and  Laying  Out. 

Soils,  Drainage,  and  Preparation. 

Manures,  Implements. 

Uses  and  Management  of  Cold  Frames. 

Formation  and  Management  of  Hot-bede. 

Forcing  Pits  or  Green-houses. 

Seeds  and  Seed  Raising. 

How,  "When,  and  WTiere  to  Sow  Seedo. 

Transplanting,  Insects. 

Packing  of  Vegetables  for  Shipping. 

Preservation  of  Vegetables  in  "Winter. 

Vegetables,  their  Varieties  and  Cultivation. 

In  the  last  chapter,  the  most  valuable  kinds  are  described,  and 
the  culture  J^roper  to  each  is  given  in  detail. 

Sent   post-paid,    price  $1.30. 
OBANGE    JUDD    &    CO.,    245    Broadway,    Kew-York. 


THE 

SMALL    FEUIT    CULTUEIST. 

BY 

ANDREW  S.  FULLER. 
Beautifully   Illustrated, 

We  have  heretofore  had  no  work  especially  devoted  to  small 
fruits,  aud  certainly  no  treatises  anywhere  that  give  the  information 
contained  in  this.  It  is  to  the  advantage  of  special  works  that  the 
author  can  say  all  that  he  has  to  say  on  any  subject,  and  not  bo 
restricted  as  to  space,  as  he  must  be  in  those  works  that  cover  the 
culture  of  all  fruits — great  and  small. 

This  book  covers  the  whole  ground  of  Propagating  Small  Fruits, 
their  Culture,  Varieties,  Packing  for  Market,  etc.  While  very  full  on 
the  other  fruits,  the  Currants  aud  Raspberries  have  been  more  care- 
fully elaborated  than  ever  before,  and  in  this  important  part  of  hia 
book,  the  author  has  had  the  invaluable  counsel  of  Charles  Downing. 
The  chapter  on  gathering  and  packing  the  fruit  is  a  valuable  one, 
and  in  it  are  figured  all  the  baskets  and  boxes  now  in  common  use. 
The  book  is  very  finely  and  thoroughly  illustrated,  and  makes  an 
admirable  companion  to  the  Grape  Culturist,  by  the  same  author. 

COINTTEP^XS: 

Chap.     I.  Batiberrt.  Chap.  VIL  Gooseberry. 

Cbap.  II.  Strawberry.  Chap.  YITI.  Cornelian  Cherry. 

Chap.  III.  Raspberry.  Chap.     IX.  Cranberry. 

Chap.  IV.  Blackberry.  Chap.      X.  Huckleberry. 

Chap.   V.  Dwarf  Cherry.  Chap.    XL  Sheperdli. 

Ch.u*.  VI.  CURR.VNT.  Chap.  XII.  Preparation     fok 

GATHERING  FrUIT. 


Sent  post-paid.    Price  $1.50. 


ORANGE    JUDD    «&    CO.,    245    Broadway,    K'ew-York 


THE 


OIOTMJL  WJyLJLO  i| 


ANDEEW  S.  FULLEE. 


NEW     AND      ENLARGED      EDITION. 


THE    STANDARD    WORK 

ON    THE    CULTIVATION     OF    THE    HARDY    GRAPE, 

AS   IT    NOT    ONLY   DISCUSSES   PRINCIPLES, 

BUT 

ILLUSTRATES    FHAGTIOE. 

Every  thing    is  made   perfectly  plain,  and.   its   teach- 
ings   iTiay    be    fbllo^ved    upon 

ONE     VINE     OR    A    VINEYARD 


The  following  are  some  of  the  topics  that  are  treated  i 

Growing  Netv  Yarteties  from  Seed. 

Propagation  by  Single  Buds  or  Eyes. 

Propagating  Houses  and  their  Management  fully  describet). 

How  TO  Grow. 

Cuttings  in  Open  Air,  and  how  to  Make  Layers. 

Grafting  the  Grape — A  Simp'.e  and  Successful  Method. 

Hybridizing  and  Crossing — Mode  of  Operation. 

Soil  and  Situation — Planting  and  Cultivation. 

Pruning,  Training,  and  Trellises — all  the  Systems  ExPLAiirnK 

Garden  Culture — How  to  Grow  Vines  in  a  Door- Yard. 

Insects,  Mildew,  Sun-Scald,  and  other  Troubles. 

Description  of  the  Valuable  and  the  Discarded  Varieties. 


Sent  post-paid.    Price  $1.50. 


Orange    Judd    &    Co.,    24:5  Broad^vay. 


LIST    OIT 

RURAL     BOOKS 

PUBLISHED  AND  FOR   SALE  BY 

ORANGE     JUDD     &    CO., 
NO.     24=5    BKOADWAY,    NEW   YOBK. 


C^"  Any  Book  on   this  list  will   be   forwarded,  post-paid,  to 
any  address  in  the  United  States,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


Allen's  (L.  F.)  Pairal  Architecture.. $1  50 
Allen's  (11.  L.)  American  Farm  Book  1  50 
Allen's  (R.  L.)  Diseases  of  Domestic 

Animals 1  00 

American  Agricultural  Annual,paper  50 

"  "  "       cloth    75 

American  Horticultural  Annual,puper  50 

•*  "  *'       cloth    T3 

American  Bird  Fancier SO 

American  Pomologj^ 3  00 

American  Hose  Guitarist 30 

American  "Weeds  and  Useful  Plants.  1  75 
Architecture,  (Curamings  &  Miller).10  GO 

Architecture,  Modern  Am.,  do 10  00 

Bement's  Kabbit  Fancier 30 

Bommer's  Method  of  Making  Manures  25 

Book  of  Evergreens 3  00 

Boussingault's  Rural  Economy 1  60 

Breck's  New  Book  of  Flowers 1  73 

Bnist's  Flower  Garden  Director}'....  1  50 
Buist's  Family  Kitchen  Gardener..,  1  00 
Chorlton's  Grape  Grower's  Guide. . .      73 

Cobbett'3  American  Gardener 75 

Cole's  (S.  W.)  American  Fruit  Book     75 

Cole's  Veterinarian 75 

Copeland's  Country  Life,  8vo,  cloth.  5  00 

Cotton  Culture,  (Lyman) 1  50 

Cotton-Planter's  Manual,  (Turner)..  1  50 
Dadd's  (G.  H.)  Modern  Horse  Doctor  1  50 

Dadd's  American  Cattle  Doctor 1  30 

Dana's  Muck  Manual 1  25 

Darwin's  Variation  of  Animals  and 

Plants  under  Domestication,  2  vols.  6  00 
Dog  &  Gun,  (Hooper's),  pa.  30c.,  clo.  60 
Downins's  Landscape  Gardening....  6  50 

Draining  for  Profit  and  Health 1  50 

Eastwood  on  Cranberry 75 

P^UiotfsWestern  Fruit  Grower'sGuidel  50 

Flax  Culture 50 

Frcncti's  Farm  Drainage 1  50 

Field's  (Thos.  W.)  Pear  Culture 1  25 

Fuller's  Grape  Culturist '  50 

FuIler'sSmall  Fruit  Culturist 150 

Fuller's  Strawberry  Culturist 20 


Gardening  for  the  South,  (White)...  2  00 

Gregory  on  Squash  Culture — .     SO 

Guenon  on  Milch  Cows 73 

Harris'  Insects  Injurious  to  Vegeta- 

tation,  ext.  clo.,  $4.00  ;  col'd  eng's.  6  00 
Henderson's  Gardening  for  Profit...  1  50 
Herbert's  Hints  to  Horse-Keepers...  1  75 

Hop  Culture 40 

How  Crops  Grow(Prof.  S.W.John8on)2  00 

Hunter  and  Trapper 1  00 

Johnston's  Agricultural  Chemistry..  1  75 
Johnston's  Elements  of  Agricultural 

Chemistry 1  50 

Leuchar's  How  to  Build  Hot-Houses  1  50 

Miles  on  the  Horse's  Foot 73 

Mohr  on  the  Grape  Vine 1  00 

My  Vineyard  at  Lakeview 1  23 

Norton's  Scientific  Agriculture 75 

Onion  Culture 20 

Our  Farm  of  Four  Acres,  pa.  SOc,  clo.     60 

Pardee  on  Strawberry  Culture 73 

Peat  and  its  Uses 1  25 

Pedder's  Land  Measurer 60 

Percheron  Horse 1  00 

Quinby's  Mysteries  of  Bee-Keeping.  1  50 
Rural  Annual,  (Harris),  8  Nos.  bound, 

2  vols  each..  1  50 

Randall's  Sheep  Husbandry 1  50 

Randall's  Fine  Wool  Sheep  Husbandry!  00 
Richardson  on  the  Dog,  pa.  30c.,  clo.     60 

Rivers'  Miniature  Fruit  Garden 1  00 

Saunders'  Domestic  Poultry,  paper. .     40 

•'  "  "        cloth..     73 

Schenck's  Gardener's  Text  Book. ...     73 

Skillful  Housewife 73 

Stewart's  (John)  Stable  Book 1  50 

Tliompson's  Food  of  Animals 1  Of) 

Tim  Bunker  Papers , 1  50 

Tobacco  Culture 25 

Warder's  Hedges  and  Evergreens...  1  50 
Youatt  and  Spooner  on  the  Horse...  1  50 

Youatt  and  Martin  on  Cattle 1  50 

Youatt  on  the  Hog 1  00 

I  Youatt  on  Sheep 1  00 


n  [Established  In  ISiJ.]  Q 

WA  Good,  Cheap,  and  very  Valuable  Paper  for  W 
Every  Man,  Woman  and  Child, 

INCITY,  VILLAGE  and   COUNTRY, 

THE 

AMERICAN   AGEICULTUEIST, 

FOR    THE 

FARM,  aAHDEN  AND  HOUSEHOLD, 

Including  a  Special   Department  of  Interesting  and 

Instructive  Reading  for  CHILDREN  and  YOUTH. 

The  AgriaiUnrifit  Is  a  large  periodical  of  Thirty-txoo  pages,  quarto,  not  octavo 
beautifully  printed,  and  lllled  with  plain,  practical,  reliable,  original  matter.  Includ- 
ing hundreds  oi  beautiful  and  insCruclive  Engraviiiss  in  everj- annual  volume. 

It  contains  each  month  a  Calendar  of  Operations  to  be  performed  on  the  Farm, 
In  the  Oi*clia.rtl  and  Garden,  in  and  around  the  Dwelling,  etc. 

The  thousands  of  hints  and  sujr.gestions  given  in  every  volume  are  prepared  byprac- 
tic?.l,  intellijrent  Avorking  men,  who  know  what  they  talk  and  write  about.  The 
articles  are  thorouglily  edited,  and  every  way  reliable. 

The  HonseUoltl  Department  is  valuable  to  every  Housekeeper,  affording 
very  many  useful  hints  and  directions  calculated  tolisliten  and  facilitate  in-door  work. 

The  Department  foi*  Cliiltlren  and  Youtli,  is  prepared  with  special  care 
not  only  to  amuse,  but  also  to  inculcate  knowledge  and  sound  moral  principles. 

Terms.— Tlie  circulation  of  the  American  Agticrilturist,  {about  150,000)  is  so 
large  tliat  it  can  be  furnislied  at  the  low  price  of  $1.50  a  year ;  four  copies,  one  year,  for 
$5;  ten  copies,  one  year,  for  $12;  twenty  or  more  copies,  one  year,  $1  each;  single 
copies,  15  cents  each.    An  extra  copy  to  tlie  one  furiiisliing  a  club  of  ten  or  twenty. 

TK.Y"    IT    Jk.    ■YEAI?,. 

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